Israeli settler representative Yossi Dagan turned back after landing at Paris airport

Palestinians inspect burned cars following an overnight attack by Israeli settlers who, according to residents, set fire to a car junkyard and a car repair shop in the West Bank village of Lubban al-Sharqiya, on November 11, 2026. LEO CORREA / AP PHOTO/LEO CORREA The head of a body representing Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law, was turned back after arriving in France, with Israel denouncing the move on Wednesday, November 11, as "unacceptable."

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, was forced to leave France after landing at a Paris airport last week, his office said in a statement. "During passport control, he was pulled aside and questioned" before being informed that he was banned from entering French territory, according to the statement, which did not specify the date or the airport where the events took place. Reached for comment, the French ministry of foreign affairs did not confirm the deportation, but stressed that "Dagan is subject to an administrative ban from the territory because of his active role in implementing the settlement policy in the West Bank."

"Settlement building is contrary to international law and undermines the two-state solution," it added. Growing friction The episode comes amid growing friction between Israel and European countries, particularly around West Bank settlements, which have proliferated under caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's outgoing right-wing government. Read more Subscribers only 'A tsunami of Jewish terrorism': Settler violence in occupied West Bank conceals ethnic cleansing The measure against Dagan, based "on clearly political and ideological grounds", is "completely unacceptable", the Israeli foreign ministry said.

"Israel will demand an explanation from the French government and consider its next steps accordingly," it added. Excluding annexed East Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis currently live in the West Bank in settlements, among some 3 million Palestinians. The surge in violence has led several countries, including France, to announce in September their intention to sanction trade with West Bank settlements. On Monday, a French parliamentary committee adopted a bill aimed at banning the import of products from Israeli settlements and services contributing to settlement construction.

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