Israel turns back French politician Rima Hassan upon arrival over Hamas support & anti-Israel activism

French member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, was denied entry to Israel and sent on a flight back to Brussels on Monday, Israeli media reported.

According to Ynet News, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel issued instructions to deny her entry while she was already on an inbound flight, following a recommendation by the Israeli Diaspora Ministry.

Hassan was scheduled to visit Israel as part of a delegation of the European Parliament and planned to advance social projects in East Jerusalem.

🚨 Israel tells European Member of Parliament Rima Hassan to fly back to Brussels.

A woman who defends the terrorist group Hamas’ lies on Social Media and said that Franco-Palestinian citizens should be allowed to join the “Palestinian armed Resistance”

See you later 👋🏽… pic.twitter.com/MVCAoYjddI

— Kosher🎗🧡 (@koshercockney) February 24, 2025

The Interior Ministry stated that Hassan “has been consistently working to promote boycotts against Israel, in addition to many public statements both on social media and in media interviews.”

“Israel’s sovereignty is not up for grabs,” declared Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli.

He added that the “European antisemite” Hassan, who he noted belongs to the far-left and vocally anti-Israeli LFI party led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, “which defends Hamas and promotes boycotts and sanctions against Israel under false claims, attempted to enter the country this morning.”

“Israel will not grant legitimacy to those who seek its harm. We will continue to act against antisemitic and anti-Israel elements trying to exploit our democracy,” Chikli wrote on 𝕏.

Israel just denied entry to EU parliament member Rima Hassan, who arrived from Brussels earlier today, due to her frequent praise for terrorism and engaging with terrorists.

Let's get to know this witch, shall we? 🧵 pic.twitter.com/xRjuzy5efx

— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) February 24, 2025

Rima Hassan was born in a Palestinian refugee camp near Aleppo in Syria, then moved to France at the age of 9 and became a French citizen in 2010. Today, she defines herself as a “Franco-Palestinian lawyer.”

While saying she condemned “Hamas's war crimes,” she also called the terror group’s invasion “legitimate” and denied that Israel has a right to defend itself.

Hassan has publicly supported boycott movements against Israel and allegedly Israel-linked companies like Starbucks and Carrefour.

She has also accused Israel of “genocide” and compared it to apartheid in South Africa; shared pictures of a visit to a Lebanese terrorist imprisoned for his involvement in the assassinations of a U.S. military attaché and an Israeli diplomat in 1982; suggested French Palestinians should be allowed to join terror groups fighting against Israel; and blamed Israel for the killing of Shiri Bibas and her two sons, who were held captive by Hamas in Gaza for more than 16 months.