Left-wing French lawmakers decry ‘major rupture in diplomatic ties’ after Israel cancels their visas

A group of 27 French lawmakers warned of a serious deterioration of ties between Israel and France after their visas were cancelled two days before a planned visit to Israel and areas under Palestinian Authority control in Judea and Samaria.

According to the Interior Ministry, the lawmakers, including far left representatives from the Ecologist and Communist parties, were refused entry under a law allowing it to ban people on the suspicion that they could act against the state’s interests.

Seventeen members of the group decried the decision, saying they were victims of “collective punishment” by Israel and called on French President Emmanuel Macron to intervene on their behalf.

Their statement denounced the ban as a “major rupture in diplomatic ties.”

According to its statement, the group included members of the Ecologist and Communist parties as well as local officials and mayors. They had planned to take part in a trip meant to “strengthen international cooperation and the culture of peace,” organized by the French consulate in Jerusalem.

“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.

“We want to understand what led to this sudden decision, which resembles collective punishment.”

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

The statement also noted that the parties had demanded recognition of a Palestinian state for the past decades.

The group reportedly includes Francois Ruffin, Alexis Corbiere, and Julie Ozenne from the Ecologist party, as well as Soumya Bourouaha and Marianne Margate of the Communist party, among others.

The incident further endangers the already shaky diplomatic relations between France and Israel.

Macron recently threatened to soon recognize a Palestinian state, drawing angry reactions in Israel and a rare public rebuke by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Macron was “gravely mistaken when he continues to promote the idea of ​​a Palestinian state in the heart of our country.”

In similar incidents earlier this year, Israel’s Interior Minister in early April ordered to deny entrance and send back two far-left British members of parliament at Ben Gurion Airport after suspicions arose that they wanted to document activities of Israeli security forces.

In February, a French member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, was denied entry to Israel and sent on a flight back to Brussels, with the Interior Ministry explaining that she “has been consistently working to promote boycotts against Israel.”