Israel has revoked the entry visas of 27 left-wing French parliamentarians and officials just two days before they were due to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories, according to a statement issued by the group on Sunday and reported by France 24.
The move comes in the wake of Israel’s recent decision to block two British Labour MPs from entering the country, and over increasing diplomatic strain following French President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge to recognise the State of Palestine in the near future. Macron has also urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to improve the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza as the Israeli onslaught rages on.
Israel’s Interior Ministry justified the cancellations by citing legislation that permits the denial of entry to individuals perceived as acting against the state’s interests.
Seventeen affected group members, linked to France’s Ecologist and Communist parties, condemned the visa cancellations as “collective punishment” and called on President Macron to respond to what they described as an unjust act.
In a joint statement, the group said they had been officially invited by the French consulate in Jerusalem for a five-day mission aimed at “promoting international cooperation and fostering a culture of peace.”
“Two days before our departure, Israeli authorities cancelled our entry visas, which had been granted a month earlier,” the statement read. “We want to understand what triggered this abrupt decision, which seems to be a form of collective punishment,” the group added.
