France has banned Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir from entering the country
France has imposed an entry ban on Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir. The restriction took effect on Saturday, May 23, and applies to the politician’s presence in the country.
This was announced by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
Barrot explained that this decision was made in response to the Israeli official’s unacceptable actions toward French and other European citizens who were aboard the Global Smud flotilla, which was detained by Israeli authorities.
“We condemn the actions of this flotilla, which yield no useful results and overburden diplomatic and consular services, whose professionalism and dedication I highly value. However, we will not tolerate French citizens being threatened, intimidated, or treated brutally in this manner, especially when it is done by a government official,” Barrot wrote on social media.
He added that, like the Italian foreign minister, he would ask the EU to impose sanctions against Ben-Gvir. Earlier, Ben-Gvir was banned from entering Poland for five years.
The reason for this decision was Ben-Gvir’s behavior, as he mocked activists from the Global Sumud flotilla, which had been detained by Israeli authorities.
In a video published by Ben-Gvir on May 20, several dozen activists can be seen kneeling on the ground while Ben-Gvir waves an Israeli flag and shouts in Hebrew: “Welcome to Israel, we rule here.”
This video drew criticism from many countries. It was condemned by the Polish Foreign Ministry, as well as ministries in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy.
Earlier, the French Ministry of Defense officially announced a major review of its military planning strategy through 2030.
French President Emmanuel Macron officially launched a large-scale program to build a new-generation aircraft carrier, known as PANG (Porte-Avions de Nouvelle Génération).
