Israeli authorities canceled visas for 27 French lawmakers, mayors, and elected officials who were scheduled to visit Israel and the occupied West Bank.
The cancellation of the visas is a retaliatory move against French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognize Palestine as a state in June.
The French delegation was set to arrive in Israel on Tuesday.
According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, the original entry visas of the French delegation were approved about a month ago.
In a joint statement on Monday, the French Ecologist Party and Communist Party called the Israeli move “collective punishment” and urged Macron to intervene.
“The revocation of our permits to enter Israel 48 hours before our departure is a major breach of diplomatic ties with the French state and of our mandates as elected representatives of the republic,” the statement said.
“It requires an unequivocal stance from the highest authorities of our state, it said. “Deliberately preventing elected representatives and members of parliament from [recognizing the Palestinian state] cannot remain without consequences.”
On April 9, Macron said that France plans to recognize a Palestinian state and could do so as early as June.
Israel denied entry to two British lawmakers in early April, citing their support for the Palestinians.
International and foreign delegations can only access the occupied Palestinian territories through Israeli checkpoints, where many have been denied entry under the pretext of supporting the Palestinians.
