New Delhi, May 24: Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has been placed under travel ban by France. It banned Ben-Gvir following global outrage over his posting of a video mocking detained activists on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering the French territory. This decision was driven by anger over Ben-Gvir posting a video of himself taunting bound and kneeling European and French citizens who were part of the “Global Sumud” humanitarian aid flotilla, “As of this day, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from accessing French territory,” Barrot said in a statement. Barrot also called on the European Union to impose sanctions on Ben-Gvir, echoing a similar appeal made by his Italian counterpart.
Ben-Gvir, a far-right member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, has previously drawn international criticism over comments about Palestinians and the war in Gaza among other things. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom have also enacted travel bans and assets freezes t on Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. These actions were implemented in response to the ministers’ incitement of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
