Jean-Luc Melenchon vowed to send French warships to escort pro-Palestinian activists
Israel has banned French left-wing presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon from entering the country after he vowed to deploy warships to escort activist flotillas seeking to break the blockade of Gaza.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry also imposed an entry ban on Mathilde Panot, the parliamentary leader of Melenchon’s La France Insoumise (France Unbowed, LFI) party.
“Both have made statements spreading blood libels against Israel, while Jean-Luc Melenchon has also called for French naval vessels to escort illegal flotillas to Gaza,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
“The State of Israel will respond firmly to those who seek to harm it,” it added.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot blasted the move as “a demagogic decision made by a government that has repeatedly violated international law.” He argued that the ban would only help LFI to “thrive on exploiting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for political gain.”
According to recent opinion polls, Melenchon ranks second behind Marine Le Pen of the right-wing National Rally (RN) in voting intentions for the 2027 presidential election. LFI is one of the largest opposition parties in the French parliament.
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