France Bans Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich
France has imposed an entry ban on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, four West Bank settler leaders, and 21 additional settlers.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the decision, citing the individuals’ roles in promoting settlement expansion, violence, and annexation policies in the occupied West Bank. The move follows France’s late-May ban on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
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France is coordinating the sanctions with the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway. Officials say the measures aim to counter the intensification of colonization in the West Bank and support a two-state solution.
