France has banned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country over his conduct toward activists detained aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the measure on Saturday, saying Ben-Gvir’s “unacceptable actions” targeted French and European citizens who had joined the Global Sumud Flotilla.
“As of today, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering French territory,” Barrot said. He added that France would not tolerate its citizens being “threatened, intimidated or brutalized,” especially by a public official.
À compter de ce jour, Itamar Ben-Gvir est interdit d’accès au territoire français.
Cette décision fait suite à ses agissements inqualifiables à l’égard de citoyens français et européens passagers de la flottille Global Smud.
Nous désapprouvons la démarche de cette flottille…
— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) May 23, 2026
France moved against Ben-Gvir after he posted a video showing himself confronting detained activists, some of whom appeared handcuffed and pinned to the deck of a ship. In the footage, the Israeli minister taunted the activists after Israeli troops apprehended them.
The video angered several countries whose citizens had joined the flotilla, including Italy and Germany. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also criticized Ben-Gvir’s conduct, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned his actions.
Barrot said the incident formed part of what he called “a long list of shocking statements and actions” by Ben-Gvir, including incitement to hatred and violence against Palestinians.
France has urged the European Union to impose formal sanctions on Ben-Gvir. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also denounced the Israeli minister’s actions as “intolerable” and called on Israel to apologize.
Barrot said Paris did not support the flotilla as a way to address the crisis in Gaza. However, he stressed that disagreement with the activists’ approach did not justify threats, intimidation, or mistreatment.
More than 400 people took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, one of the latest efforts by pro-Palestinian activists to symbolically break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Israeli forces detained the participants earlier this week and brought them to Israel. Authorities later deported nearly all of them to Turkey.
ככה אנחנו מקבלים את תומכי הטרור
Welcome to Israel
pic.twitter.com/7Hf8cAg7fC
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) May 20, 2026
After their release, several activists said Israeli authorities abused them in detention. The Global Sumud Flotilla said some participants reported being kicked and beaten, while others alleged sexual assault.
The Israeli military denied allegations that soldiers abused detainees during what it described as operations to enforce the naval security blockade. Israel’s prison service also rejected the accusations, calling them false and without factual basis.
The controversy has increased international scrutiny of Israel’s handling of the flotilla and intensified diplomatic pressure on Ben-Gvir, one of the most hardline figures in Israel’s government.
