France bans Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot says. The decision forms part of a coordinated sanctions effort with other governments targeting officials and individuals accused of fueling escalation in the occupied West Bank and related violence against Palestinians. France links the measure to Smotrich’s alleged role in promoting settlement expansion, intensifying settlement activity, and supporting actions it describes as annexation-related. Several outlets report that the French statement also cites calls for “re-colonisation” of Gaza.
Reporting across outlets describes the sanctions as coordinated with countries including Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway. Beyond Smotrich, at least one report says France also bars entry for leaders of settler organizations and for a group of violent settlers. The measures are presented as countering policies that France and its partners say contribute to violence and to the worsening situation for Palestinians. One source also notes Smotrich is not the first Israeli government figure to be barred from France recently, mentioning Itamar Ben Gvir as an earlier case.
