French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described Israel’s decision to bar Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the presidential candidate of the left-wing France Unbowed party, from entering the country as “demagogic.”
In a post on the social media platform X, Barrot wrote: “This demagogic decision, taken by a government that has repeatedly violated the rules of international law, serves the interests of those, including the France Unbowed party, who seek to gain political advantage by exploiting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for their own purposes.”
He added that France would continue to tirelessly defend the two-state solution and peaceful coexistence between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.
Israel Explains Ban on Mélenchon and Mathilde Panot
Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that Israel had barred both Mélenchon and Mathilde Panot, the head of the France Unbowed parliamentary group, from entering the country.
Sa’ar said Israel would respond firmly to anyone who harms it, adding that it would not allow entry to individuals who work against the country or incite hostility toward it and its citizens.
In a statement published by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on X, the ministry accused the two French politicians of making statements that promote what it described as a “blood libel” against Israel, a historically antisemitic accusation.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry justified the decision by citing remarks made by Mélenchon during a party conference on November 7, 2026. He pledged that, if his party won the 2027 presidential election, French naval vessels could accompany civilian flotillas heading to the Gaza Strip in an effort to break the blockade.
Sanctions Against Netanyahu’s Government and Suspension of EU Partnership
Media reports, including the Clash Report website, indicated that the new presidential platform of France Unbowed includes calls for sanctions against Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the suspension of the European Union’s Association Agreement with Israel.
Some observers believe Israel’s decision came amid escalating tensions between Paris and Tel Aviv. It may also have been a response to French authorities’ announcement, one day earlier, that Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council in the northern West Bank, had been barred from entering France.
A French Foreign Ministry official told The Jerusalem Post that the administrative ban on Dagan was imposed because of his active role in implementing settlement policies in the West Bank.
