On Tuesday, 9 June, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced a ban on Israeli far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering French territory. This decision is rooted in Smotrich’s policies, which are perceived as actively promoting the annexation of the West Bank.
The ban has been implemented in collaboration with the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway. It forms part of a broader set of sanctions targeting individuals deemed responsible for the escalation of settlement activities and violence in the West Bank.
The statement of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted that “violent extremist settlers, with the support of their associates, continue to perpetrate attacks against Palestinians, violating their human rights. These actions include resorting to violence to displace Palestinians, destroy their property, and engage in illegal settlement activities.”
It further emphasised that “for an extended period, violent settlers have acted with near impunity, while the expansion of settlements and the establishment of outposts persist with the support of the Israeli government. In certain instances, these settlers have committed acts of violence under the protection of Israeli security forces.”
The statement concluded by expressing a willingness to take further action should the Israeli government fail to address the situation on the ground promptly.
“With our British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and Norwegian partners, we are today imposing new sanctions against those responsible for intensifying colonisation and violence in the West Bank. At the national level, we have banned from our territory Minister Bezalel Smotrich, four leaders of settler organisations, and twenty-one violent settlers. Bezalel Smotrich actively promotes the annexation of the West Bank, which he openly claims, the creation of new settlements in the West Bank, the recolonisation of Gaza, the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority, and its deleterious consequences on the Palestinian population: this is a policy that the overwhelming majority of the international community cannot accept, firmly committed to the two-State solution,” posted Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on X.
Israel condemned “shameful measures” in a statement from Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein. He claimed these actions attempt to impose a political agenda on the right of Jews to settle in Israel, disguised as efforts to combat violence.
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir has been banned from entering France since 23 May, following a video showing Gaza flotilla activists kneeling with their hands bound. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has intensified with the recent escalation in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023.
