France has banned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir from entering the country, citing his actions toward foreign activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced the ban on Saturday, calling Ben Gvir's behavior 'reprehensible towards French and European citizens.' Barrot added that France and Italy are pushing for European Union-level sanctions against the far-right minister.
The ban follows global outrage over a video Ben Gvir posted on Wednesday showing activists detained by Israel in international waters, forced to kneel with their hands tied. The clip, captioned 'Welcome to Israel,' showed Ben Gvir heckling them while waving an Israeli flag.
Spain has joined the call for EU sanctions, and the United Kingdom summoned Israel's senior diplomat over the video. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Ben Gvir's treatment of the activists was 'not in line with Israel's values and norms,' though Netanyahu previously denounced the flotilla as a scheme to support Hamas.
The activists departed from Türkiye last week on about 50 vessels under the Global Sumud Flotilla, the latest attempt to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza.