Israel revokes visas for French MPs as ties sour

Barring of 27 French politicians comes two days ahead of planned trip

The legislators said they had been invited on a five-day trip by the French consulate in Jerusalem. Getty Images

A group of 27 French left-wing MPs and local officials say Israel has revoked their visas just two days before they were due to visit the country and the Palestinian territories.

The block on their trip comes after Israel earlier this month prevented two British legislators from entering, as diplomatic ties with some European nations sour over the war in Gaza.

Israel's barring of the left-leaning politicians also coincides with efforts by its leaders to cultivate closer relationships with Europe's far right.

Seventeen of the French politicians, who are members of France's Ecologist and Communist parties, told AFP news agency they had been victims of “collective punishment” by Israel and called on French President Emmanuel Macron to intervene.

They said they had been invited on a five-day trip by the French consulate in Jerusalem.

The group had intended to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of efforts to “strengthen international co-operation and the culture of peace”, they added.

“For the first time, two days before our departure, the Israeli authorities cancelled our entry visas that had been approved one month ago,” they said.

Israel's interior ministry said the visas had been cancelled under a law that allows authorities to ban people who could act against Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been cultivating ties with far-right politicians in Europe. AFP

The French delegation included National Assembly deputies Francois Ruffin, Alexis Corbiere and Julie Ozenne from the Ecologist party, Communist deputy Soumya Bourouaha and Communist senator Marianne Margate. The others are left-wing town mayors and local legislators.

The group said the ban constituted a “major rupture in diplomatic ties” between France and Israel.

“Deliberately preventing elected officials and parliamentarians from travelling cannot be without consequences,” the group said.

They demanded action by the French government to ensure Israel let them enter.

Mr Macron this month said France would soon recognise a Palestinian state and he has tried to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to improve the harsh conditions faced by Gazans amid the Israel-Gaza war.

Mr Netanyahu reacted with fury to Mr Macron's comment. He said establishing a Palestinian state next to Israel would be a “huge reward for terrorism”.

The group of French politicians said the political parties they belonged to had for decades called for recognition of a Palestinian state.

Earlier this month, Israeli authorities detained two British members of parliament, Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, at Tel Aviv airport before deporting them, saying the pair could act against the state of Israel. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the move “unacceptable”.

The two MPs from Britain's governing Labour Party were refused entry because they intended to spread “hateful rhetoric” against Israel and the Israeli population, the Interior Ministry said.

In February, Israel also stopped two left-wing European parliament deputies from entering, Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan and Lynn Boylan from Ireland.

While banning left-leaning politicians, Israel has at the same time been forging increasingly close ties with Europe's far right.

Mr Netanyahu flew to Hungary this month to meet Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a leader in the vanguard of Europe's right wing. Despite Mr Orban facing accusations of playing off anti-Semitic tropes to appeal to his political base, Mr Netanyahu has openly praised the Hungarian leader.

The Hungary trip highlighted a strained relationship between Israel and other allies and overseas groups who have been traditional supporters of the country, as Israel veers to the right.

Less than a week before his Hungary visit, Mr Netanyahu addressed a conference in Jerusalem aimed at combatting anti-Semitism that featured a number of far-right European politicians in the audience.