Prominent Israeli settler denied entry into France

What the report says

France has denied entry to Yossi Dagan, a prominent Israeli settler and head of an organisation representing settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Al Jazeera’s report published on 12 November 2026. The article says French authorities stopped him at a Paris airport last week, questioned him at passport control and then informed him that he was barred from entering French territory because of his role in advancing settlement policy in the West Bank.

Israel strongly criticised the decision. The report says Israeli officials called the move unacceptable and said they believed it was based on political and ideological grounds. Dagan, who is identified as a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, rejected the ban and said he remained committed to building what he described as the historic homeland of the Jewish people.

Al Jazeera reports that France’s foreign ministry has said settlement construction is contrary to international law and undermines the two-state solution. The case comes amid broader friction between Israel and several European governments over settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. In recent months, France and other countries have moved to curb trade linked to settlements, and a French parliamentary committee recently approved a bill aimed at banning imports of settlement goods and services that support construction there.

The article notes that France had earlier barred two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, underscoring the growing diplomatic strain over settlement policy.