France Denies Entry to Israeli Settlement Council Head

France has denied entry to Yossi Dagan, the head of the "Samaria" regional settlement council, according to a diplomatic source cited by Israel's Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan 11) on Wednesday. Dagan's representatives stated that immigration officials informed him during a passport check that he was prohibited from entering France and must remain outside its territory. They described the action as unusual, noting that no official reasons were provided and it remains unclear if this is a personal ban or part of a broader French policy towards Israeli officials.

In a separate development, Israel's ambassador to the Netherlands, Zvi Avneri Vivini, told the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad that he finds statements made by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich shocking and unacceptable, and that he does not wish to defend them. When prompted by the interviewer about Ben-Gvir's alleged statement that starving two million Gazans is justified and Smotrich's call to kill 30 to 40 Gazans nightly, Vivini reiterated his refusal to defend their positions or represent them.