France rebukes Israel for banning opposition leaders Mélenchon, Panot

France has condemned Israel’s entry ban on Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the far-left La France Insoumise, LFI, and Mathilde Panot, chair of the party’s parliamentary group in the French National Assembly

Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the action by Benjamin Netanyahu’s caretaker government a “demagogic decision,” a remarkable defense of Mélenchon and Panot, staunch critics of the French administration.

Barrot stated that Israel has repeatedly violated international law, and by the ban, it played into the hands of those who, like LFI, “thrive on exploiting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

The minister, in a statement, reaffirmed France will continue to work for a two-state solution and the peaceful coexistence of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

Panot reacted to the ban on X with a Palestinian flag, writing, “Still looking for the bad news. Message to the Israeli authorities: Free Palestine!”

Mélenchon, a presidential candidate for the 2027 election, said he was not disappointed. “I’m being banned from entering a territory I had no intention of visiting.”

The 75-year-old left-wing politician has pledged, if elected, to pursue sanctions, an arms embargo, and suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement.

On Thursday, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Mélenchon and Panot of making “outrageous statements,” which spread “blood libels against Israel.”

Jerusalem particularly reprimanded Mélenchon for proposing that French vessels escort unauthorized flotillas to Gaza, vowing to “respond firmly” to hostile individuals.

Last week, France barred prominent Israeli settler leader Yossi Dagan from entering the country, detaining and turning him back upon his arrival at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.