PARIS — France announced it has banned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering French territory after he posted a video showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla being mocked and humiliated.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on X that the ban was imposed “from today” in response to “his reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens” who were among the humanitarian convoy. Barrot added that he was working with Italy to seek European Union-level sanctions against the far-right minister.
The footage, published by Ben-Gvir on May 20, showed dozens of activists forced to kneel with their heads to the ground and hands bound while Israeli personnel prepared to deport them from the southern port of Ashdod. The clip, captioned “Welcome to Israel,” also showed Ben-Gvir jeering at the detainees while waving an Israeli flag. Israel said the activists, detained in international waters, would be deported.
Thirty-six French nationals were reported among roughly 50 vessels that left Turkey last week as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, the latest attempt by activists to challenge Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza. A prior convoy was intercepted in April in international waters off Greece, and most participants were expelled to Europe.
Barrot said France did not support the flotilla’s action, describing it as serving “no useful purpose,” but added that the mistreatment of French citizens, especially by a public official, was intolerable. Spain has urged the EU to sanction Ben-Gvir, and the United Kingdom summoned Israel’s top diplomat in London over the “inflammatory video.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the video’s conduct as “not in line with Israel’s values and norms,” while reiterating his earlier characterization of the aid mission as a “malicious scheme” intended to assist Hamas.
Israel maintains strict control over access to Gaza, which has been under blockade since 2007. During the Gaza war the territory faced severe shortages of food, medicine and other essentials, and Israel at times suspended aid deliveries.