27 elected officials are concerned. A delegation of French parliamentarians and elected officials denounced on Sunday “a collective punishment” after the cancellation of their visas two days before a trip to Israel, and calls for Emmanuel Macron.
This delegation, including in particular the deputies François Ruffin, Alexis Corbière and Julie Ozenne (environmental group), Soumya Bourouaha (GDR group, Communist) and the senator Marianne Margaté (communist group), was to go to Israel and the Palestinian territories from April 20 to 24.
“Invited by the French consulate in Jerusalem, our missions for 35 years allow international cooperation and the culture of peace to be strengthened. For the first time, two days before our departure, the Israeli authorities canceled our entry visas when they had been approved a month ago, “wrote 17 of these 27 elected officials in a statement.
“Major rupture of diplomatic links”
“We want to understand what prompted this sudden decision that reminds of a collective punishment. (…) This revocation of our authorizations to enter Israel at 48 hours from our departure is a major breakdown of diplomatic links with regard to the French State and our elected representatives of the Republic which requires an unequivocal position of the highest authorities of our State, “they continue.
“For decades, we have called for our wishes and claim that France recognizes the Palestinian state. France is preparing to finally take the step of this recognition. It is a courageous act, which would pay tribute to its history and our vision of democracy, freedom, equality and fraternity, “add these elected officials. Emmanuel Macron recently announced that France could recognize a Palestinian state in June, on the occasion of a conference which it will co -reside with Saudi Arabia in New York.
“Deliberately preventing elected officials and parliamentarians cannot remain without consequences. We ask that this situation be clarified, that our delegation be received by the President of the Republic and that he implements everything with the Israeli authorities to allow us to make a new trip as soon as possible, ”they conclude.
This delegation will hold a press conference Tuesday in Paris. Solicited, the Israeli Ministry of the Interior confirmed that it has canceled the visas by invoking a law to prohibit the entry of the territory to persons who want to act against the State of Israel.