Israel denies entry to Hamas-supporting European Parliament member

The 32-year-old French jurist and politician of Palestinian descent is a member of the far-left France Unbowed party and has been vocal in her criticism of Israel.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

European Parliament member Rima Hassan was denied entry into Israel on Monday, as officials cited her history of support for boycotts and sanctions against the Jewish state.

The move came at the directive of Interior Minister Moshe Arbel based on recommendations from the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and the US-based Combating Antisemitism movement.

“Israel is not obligated to admit any foreign official, including parliament members if they work to delegitimize and undermine the state,” said Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli.

“Rima Hassan actively leads hostile campaigns, calls for economic sanctions, and promotes boycotts against Israel. We will use all means available to prevent the exploitation of our democracy for anti-Israeli purposes.”

Hassan, who arrived at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport, will be deported to Brussels, from where she departed, the Interior Ministry said. She was intending to visit Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah.

The 32-year-old French jurist and politician of Palestinian descent is a member of the far-left France Unbowed party and has been vocal in her criticism of Israel.

Recently, Hassan blamed Israel for the deaths of the Bibas family, repeating claims made by Hamas following their capture.

“Kfir, Ariel, and Shiri Bibas were killed by an Israeli strike,” she wrote on social media. However, Israeli pathologists confirmed that the three were murdered in November 2023.

On Sunday, the lawmaker justified Palestinian terror by tweeting “Resolution 3070 (XXVIII) of the United Nations General Assembly: Reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples to free themselves from colonial and foreign domination and control by all means in their power, including armed struggle.”

In a November 2024 video, when asked if Hamas terror was justified, Hassan answered “True,” adding that Israel has no legal right to defend itself.

And in May, she called for a boycott of French TV station TF1 after it aired an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.