Israel sends French journalist back to Paris over Hamas stance

Yossi Lempkowicz

2 hours ago

Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry cited comments by Alice Froussard, including that the Oct. 7 massacre should be viewed “in context.”

Passengers check the departure board inside the Departure Hall at Ben Gurion International Airport on June 8, 2026, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo by Erik Marmor/Getty Images.

Israel has barred French journalist Alice Froussard from entering the country, Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli announced on Thursday.

“I am pleased to announce that at this very moment, Alice Froussard, a French journalist who supports Hamas, and who claims that the October 7 massacre must be viewed ‘in context,’ is making her way from Ben Gurion Airport back to Paris,” Chikli wrote in an X post. “Like Linda Sarsour before her, she too has learned that the State of Israel has run out of patience for Hamas supporters and for those who support sanctions and boycotts against it.”

Froussard, who has reported from Israel in recent years, was seeking a new work visa to return as a correspondent for Radio France when officials reviewed her public statements, according to Israel Hayom.

The ministry cited posts and remarks in which she described Israeli laws as “draconian,” accused Israel of operating a dual legal system amounting to apartheid, and said the Oct. 7 massacre should be viewed “in context.”

Earlier this month, Israel banned anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour from entering the country.