MÉLENCHON AND PANOT BARRED FROM ENTERING ISRAEL

TEL AVIV, NOVEMBER 13 /SRNA/ - Israel has barred Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the presidential candidate of the left-wing France Unbowed party, from entering the country over what Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar described as his and his party's "extreme anti-Israel positions".

Sa'ar, who was recently appointed Minister of the Interior, stressed that the entry ban also applies to Mathilde Panot, leader of the party's parliamentary group.

"Both have made statements against Israel, while Mélenchon also called for French ships to escort flotillas heading to the Gaza Strip," Sa'ar stressed.

Mélenchon is known for his strong anti-Israel stance. Following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Mélenchon's party refused to describe the attack as terrorism, German news agency DPA reports.