Israeli settler leader Yossi Dagan has said that French authorities have prevented him from accessing French territory because of his involvement in the launch of dozens of settlements in the north of the West Bank and because of his activism in favor of Israeli recolonization of the Gaza Strip.
According to a statement reported by Dagan’s office, border control agents separated him from the other passengers to interrogate him and informed him of the decision to deny him entry into France for his role within the Israeli settler movement, as the newspaper "The Times of Israel" has reported.
Dagan —who, after it became known what happened, has declared himself "proud to be Jewish and Zionist" and to be "on the right side of history"— is one of the main settler activists and heads the Samaria Regional Council, which acts as a municipal authority for some 35 settlements located in the north of the West Bank. In addition, he has promoted a plan that aims for one million people to live in this area by 2050.
Israel’s reaction: a "totally unacceptable" decision
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reacted to the decision by French authorities, describing it as "very serious: France’s decision to bar entry to an Israeli elected official who respects the law, for clearly political and ideological reasons."
"This is a totally unacceptable measure, and Israel will demand explanations from the French Government in this regard and, as a result, will study the measures it will take," the statement adds.
This episode occurs in a context of a sharp deterioration in bilateral relations, especially over the past year, in which the Élysée has hardened its stance toward the executive of Benjamin Netanyahu, the war in the Gaza Strip, and the increase in violence in the West Bank.
Among the decisions adopted by the French Government are entry bans on the Finance and Security ministers, the far-right Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, as well as on four leaders of settler organizations and 21 settlers considered violent. Paris did not then publish the complete list of people affected by the ban, although it is likely that Dagan was included in it.
France has also announced sanctions against various settlers, both individually and against entities, and has prevented Israeli defense companies from participating in the defense and armament fairs organized on French territory.