Israel has barred Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of France Unbowed, and Mathilde Panot, who leads the party’s parliamentary group, from entering the country. The decision has exposed sharply different readings of the politicians’ criticism of Israel and of the purpose of the ban.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it would act “firmly” against people seeking to harm the country and would not admit those who “incite hatred against its citizens.”¹ It said Mélenchon and Panot had repeated what it regards as false accusations against Israel, and cited Mélenchon’s call for French naval escorts for flotillas heading to Gaza.²

Mélenchon, who has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza — an allegation Israel rejects — said the decision was immaterial because he had not sought to visit. “They are forbidding me from entering a territory where I did not ask to enter,” he told Franceinfo, adding that he regretted being pursued by the Israeli government.¹ Panot responded with irony online, saying she was still looking for “the bad news,” alongside a call for Palestinian liberation.²

The two accounts differ in emphasis. Coverage from Brazil’s left describes the prohibition as directed at French politicians who denounce Israel’s Gaza policy and the gradual annexation of the West Bank. The right-leaning account foregrounds Israel’s allegation of incitement, as well as controversy over Mélenchon’s past comments on Hamas.²

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the ban “demagogic,” arguing that it came from a government he accused of repeatedly violating international law. But he also said France Unbowed benefits from politicising the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.¹ His response therefore rejects Israel’s action without fully endorsing the opposition party’s approach.