PARIS, June 9 — France has banned Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and a number of Jewish settlers involved in violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank from entering French territory, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced on Tuesday.
In a post on social media platform X, Barrot said France, together with Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway, had imposed a new round of sanctions on individuals responsible for the expansion of settlements and escalating violence in the West Bank.
At the national level, France has barred Smotrich, four leaders of settler organizations and 21 violent settlers from entering the country, Barrot said.
According to Barrot, Smotrich has actively promoted the annexation of the West Bank, advocated the establishment of new settlements there, supported the re-establishment of settlements in Gaza, and backed policies that could lead to the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority, with devastating consequences for the Palestinian people.
He described such policies as “unacceptable” to the overwhelming majority of the international community, which remains firmly committed to the two-state solution.
Violence involving Jewish settlers in the West Bank has intensified in recent months. Nine people were injured Saturday in an attack by Israeli settlers in the northern West Bank, according to Palestinian sources. (Namibia Daily News/ Xinhua)
