JERUSALEM: Israel said on Thursday it would ban French hard-left presidential contender Jean-Luc Melenchon from visiting after he vowed that if he were elected, French vessels would accompany activists hoping to force aid into Gaza.
“Israel will respond firmly to those who seek to harm it and will not allow individuals who act against Israel and incite against its citizens to enter the country,” the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement.
The announcement comes a day after France confirmed it had refused entry to the head of a body representing Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Melenchon, a fierce critic of Israel, said in a speech Saturday that if he were elected, France would “act directly in support of the Palestinians” in both Gaza and the West Bank.
“French ships, like those of Italy and Spain, will escort, if necessary, the flotillas of citizens mobilized to affirm people’s rights,” he said.
Commenting on the decision to ban him, Melenchon said, “I regret that the Israeli government is pursuing me like this.”
“The ambassador here in Paris said that he would like anyone other than me elected. Well, so be it,” he told France Info radio.
But he said he was not “disappointed” by the Israeli order, explaining, “They’re banning me from entering territory I didn’t ask to enter.”
