Israel cancelled visas for 27 left-wing French lawmakers on Sunday, citing their alleged links to terrorists and terrorist supporters.
The politicians were due to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories this week as part of a delegation organised by the Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS). But following a review conducted by a number of senior bodies, Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration denied their entry.
The Israeli embassy in France explained in a statement that AFPS has “known ties to terrorist and terrorist-supporting organisations,” in particular with “NGOs operating in France and the Palestinian Authority” (PA) which are designated as terrorist organisations in Israel.
The PA incentivises terrorism by allocating salaries to extremists locked up in Israeli jails, as well as to the families of those who have died while doing so. It is also strongly supported by the European Union.
The embassy added that “these NGOs are directly linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the EU.”
Despite a major backlash from the lawmakers, who said they had been victims of “collective punishment” by Israel, Israeli officials stressed that the politicians can contact authorities to arrange a visit not organised by AFPS—or by any other “organisation supporting terrorism.”
Seventeen members of the banned group, from France’s Ecologist and Communist parties, have called on Emmanuel Macron to intervene. The French president has not yet commented on the situation.
