Israel bans French politician Mélenchon from entering the country

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the founder of the France Without Bowing (La France insoumise - LFI) movement and one of the candidates in the 2027 presidential elections, was banned from entering the country.

In its statement on Thursday, November 12, the Ministry cited LFI's "extremely hostile attitude" towards Israel as the reason for the decision.

The statement said, "Israel will act decisively against those who try to harm it; it will not allow those who operate against its interests and incite hatred against its citizens to enter its territory."

"I DID NOT WANT TO GO ANYWAY..."

Speaking to Franceinfo after the decision, Mélenchon stated that he did not care about the Israeli government's statement.

The French politician said, "It is not possible for me to be disappointed because I did not make any requests. I am banned from entering a country that I did not apply to enter."

Saying that he regretted that the Israeli government continued to target him in this way, Mélenchon reminded that the Israeli Ambassador to Paris had previously stated that he would prefer anyone to be elected President of France instead of him.

Mélenchon commented on these words: "I noted, everyone has their own taste."

"RELATIONS WILL NOT NORMALize"

Mélenchon also answered the question about how he would establish relations with Israel if elected president.

He stated that he would not normalize relations with Israel as long as the actions he described as genocide in Gaza, military operations in southern Lebanon and the occupation of the Golan Heights continue.

French politician: "Why should I change my mind?" He emphasized that respect for international law is at the center of his understanding of foreign policy.

Mélenchon argued that international law was the main guarantee against the "law of the strong" approach, which he attributed to the Israeli government.

Accusing the Israeli administration of causing severe suffering to the people of neighboring countries, Mélenchon also targeted US President Donald Trump.

While criticizing Trump's policies, he said, "assuming he is crazy, it is the law of the craziest."

REACTION FROM FRANCE FOREIGN AFFAIRS

The French government also reacted to Israel's decision.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the entry ban on Mélenchon as a "demagogic decision" in his statement on the X account.

While Barrot accused the Israeli government of repeatedly violating international law, he stated that the decision benefited movements such as LFI, which he argued were using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for political purposes.

The French Minister expressed his criticism that the decision deepened both the attitude of the Israeli government and the political polarization in France.