May 23, 2026, 3:55 p.mMay 23, 2026, 3:55 p.m
Following the controversial crackdown on Gaza activists, France has imposed an entry ban on Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. “This decision is a reaction to his inexcusable behavior towards French and European citizens who were passengers on the Global Smud Flotilla,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on the X platform.
A video by the minister that showed arrested Gaza activists in a humiliating manner had previously sparked international outrage. The minister can be seen walking with a group of supporters and among handcuffed activists, waving an Israeli flag.
Video: Watson/Lucas Zollinger
Barrot stressed that one cannot tolerate French nationals being threatened, intimidated or ill-treated in this way, especially by a public official. The actions were part of a long list of “shocking statements and actions” as well as “calls for hatred and violence against the Palestinians.”
Calls for EU sanctions
Barrot, like Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani before him, called on the European Union to impose sanctions against Ben-Gvir. According to Tajani, the EU foreign ministers should decide on punitive measures at their next meeting.
Several foreign ministers from European countries condemned the action. A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the treatment of the activists was “completely unacceptable”. According to the Foreign Office, several activists from Germany who were deported from Israel to Turkey were injured. A spokesman reiterated the federal government’s criticism of the “degrading treatment” of those arrested in Israel.
Israel stopped the Gaza aid fleet, which consisted of more than 50 boats, in international waters near Cyprus earlier this week. Around 430 activists wanted to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. (sda/dpa)