Israel refuses entry to French journalist due to anti-Israeli statements |
French journalist Alice Froussard was denied entry into Israel on Thursday, in a decision the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry said was due to statements she made that were hostile to the country.
Froussard, who arrived for what the ministry described as an extended work visit, was intercepted at Ben-Gurion Airport and placed on a return flight to France. The decision prompted sharp criticism from French media organizations and press freedom groups.
A prominent French correspondent, Froussard has spent the past six years reporting from Jerusalem and Ramallah for outlets such as Radio France, Le Figaro, TV5Monde and Mediapart.
According to the ministry, airport investigators found that Froussard had made a series of anti-Israel statements, including comments that allegedly legitimized the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, described Israeli military operations in Gaza as a “massacre,” and characterized Israel as an apartheid state.
The move follows France’s recent decisions to bar far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country, as well as sanctions it has imposed with other countries targeting settlement expansion and settler violence.
The Population and Immigration Authority denied her entry following a recommendation from the Diaspora Ministry, headed by right-wing Minister Amichai Chikli. The move follows similar actions against figures Chikli has accused of hostility toward Israel, including Palestinian-American political activist Linda Sarsour.
“Like Linda Sarsour and other instigators before her, Alice Froussard has also realized that we have changed the rules of the game,” Chikli said in a statement. “Anyone who supports Hamas and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against the........