Israel Orders Entry Bans for Mélenchon and Panot

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister and Interior Minister Gideon Saar ordered entry bans for French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Mathilde Panot, the parliamentary group chair of his La France Insoumise party. The ministry cited what it described as the party’s anti-Israel policies and statements by its senior members. The reports did not establish that either politician had planned to visit Israel.

The ministry accused Mélenchon and Panot of making what it called blood libels against Israel. It also singled out Mélenchon’s pledge that, if elected president, French ships would escort civilian flotillas to Gaza if necessary. The ministry described the flotillas as illegal; Mélenchon spoke of civilian vessels accompanying activists seeking to deliver aid and support Palestinians.

Mélenchon made the pledge at a campaign rally in Le Bourget, near Paris, according to reports. In his remarks, he said France would act in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and that French ships could join those of Italy and Spain in escorting flotillas. The Israeli statement cited the pledge as a reason for the entry ban.

The ministry said Israel would not allow people it...