West Bankupdated 15m ago2 min read
France Denies Entry to Yossi Dagan, Citing Administrative Ban Over West Bank Settlements
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France barred Yossi Dagan from entering Paris, authorities confirming an entry ban. France cited his active role in West Bank settlement expansion and international-law concerns.
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France turns away Yossi Dagan
France denied entry to Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council settler organization, after French authorities stopped him for questioning at passport control when he flew into a Paris airport last week. The French ministry said Dagan was “subject to an administrative ban from the territory due to his active role in implementing the settlement policy in the West Bank,” and it added that “Settlement activity is contrary to international law and undermines the two-state solution.”
Dagan said he was undeterred by the ban and told reporters he was proud to “build the historic homeland of the Jewish people,” while Israel’s foreign ministry said the measures against him were based on “political and ideological grounds.” The French denial came as France and 11 other countries announced plans to restrict trade with illegal settlements in the Palestinian territory in September, and as a French parliamentary committee approved a bill banning imports of settlement goods and services contributing to settlement construction with further discussion scheduled for November 19.
Israel protests, France cites policy
Israel’s foreign ministry condemned the entry ban as “completely unacceptable” and said it would demand an explanation from the French government and consider its next steps accordingly. Dagan’s office said French immigration authorities took him aside for questioning at the Paris airport, and after questioning him at length they informed him that he would not be allowed to enter the country.
A French diplomatic source told Al-Monitor that Dagan was subject to an administrative ban because of his active role in implementing the settlement policy in the West Bank, while Samaria Council spokesperson Ester Aloush said Dagan had not been informed when the entry ban was issued. The National said France confirmed the ban on Dagan and described it as unprecedented, while Haaretz said France imposed an administrative entry ban on Dagan citing his role in implementing settlement policy in the West Bank.
What the ban signals next
The dispute over Dagan’s entry unfolded alongside France’s broader settlement restrictions, including France banning far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich earlier this year and France’s sanctions announcement in February 2024 against 28 Israeli settlers accused of committing human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank. Al Jazeera said there are at least 148 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and 15 in occupied East Jerusalem, now home to about 750,000 Israelis, according to Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now, and it said the incident came amid tension between Israel and European countries over illegal settlements proliferating under Netanyahu’s government.
The National said France’s ban on Dagan followed measures that since 2024 included bans on 59 Israelis linked to the settler movement, while Anadolu Ajansı said French authorities denied entry to Dagan and that Israeli media described the move as a “diplomatic precedent.” Al-Monitor said France’s restrictions and the Dagan ban fit into strained relations after Paris’ recognition of a Palestinian state in 2025, and it said a Socialist Party-sponsored bill advanced in the French National Assembly’s Committee on Economic Affairs would prohibit imports of settlement products.