France pushes back Israeli settler leader in West Bank

Diplomatic relations are once again strained between Paris and Jerusalem. A representative of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank was turned back upon his arrival in France and forced to leave the country. This measure was described on Wednesday as “unacceptable” by Israel.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria regional council, a structure which represents Jewish settlements in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, was refused entry to French territory last week after landing at a Paris airport, his services said. “During passport control, he was separated and questioned” before being banned from entering French territory, according to the press release, which does not specify the date or the airport where the events occurred.

Illegal colonization according to international law

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not confirm the refoulement, but stressed that Yossi “Dagan is the subject of an administrative ban from the territory due to his active role in the implementation of the policy of colonization of the West Bank”. “Colonization is contrary to international law and compromises the two-state solution,” added the French ministry.

This episode, which comes in a context of growing tensions between Israel and European countries, particularly around the colonization of the occupied West Bank, aroused the anger of the Israeli government. This measure, “taken for clearly political and ideological reasons”, is “totally unacceptable”, reacted the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Israel will demand explanations from the French government and will consider the action to be taken accordingly,” he continued.

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Not counting East Jerusalem, occupied and annexed by Israel, more than 500,000 Israelis live today in the West Bank in colonies deemed illegal by the UN, among some three million Palestinians. This colonization accelerated under the outgoing right-wing and far-right government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.