In an interview, the French MEP of Palestinian origin, said that Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who were buried Wednesday near Kibbutz Nir Oz, were not murdered by the Palestinian terrorist organization and pointed the finger of responsibility at the “occupation and colonization regime imposed by Israel”.
On Monday, Rima Hassan was barred from entry into Israel as she arrived at Ben Gurion airport with a parliamentary delegation.
The Mayor of the city of Nice, Christian Estrosi, called Thursday for Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan to be prosecuted for ‘’apology of terrorism’’ after she refuted that Hamas murdered the Bibas family.
In an interview with Sud Radio, the French MEP of Palestinian origin, who is a member of the extreme left La France Insoumise (‘’France Unbowed’’) party, said tIhat Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who were buried Wednesday near Kibbutz Nir Oz, were not murdered by the Palestinian terrorist organization and pointed the finger of responsibility at the “occupation and colonization regime imposed by Israel”.
“Not murdered? Killed?”, asked the journalist to Rima Hassan after an initial denial of the facts. “No,” she reiterated, regretting that the journalist had not done ‘’a press review on the subject’’. “The Bibas family itself has asked the Israeli authorities to stop commenting on the circumstances of their loved ones’ death”, she said.
According to her, the family has not yet received “official and clear information on the accounts communicated by the Israeli army”.
After the autopsy, the Israeli army announced last Friday that the two children had been “brutally killed in captivity in November 2023 by Palestinian terrorists” and not by an Israeli air strike as Hamas claimed. According to Tsahal, the murderers acted “with their bare hands”.
“Would there have been Hamas and the October 7 attacks if there hadn’t been an illegal occupation and an illegal blockade imposed for decades?,” Hassan said. Asserting that she spoke the “language of international law”, the MEP also declared that Hamas had “a legitimate action”.
Maud Bregeon, a member of the French parliament for President Macron’s party, denounced Hassan’s remarks, calling her ‘’the spokesperson of Hamas in Brussels.’’ She stressed that La France Insoumise party “makes anti-Semitism, sometimes veiled to avoid legal trouble, an electoral strategy”.
On Monday, Rima Hassan was barred from entry into Israel as she arrived at Ben Gurion airport with a parliamentary delegation for a visit to the Palestinian Territories. Hassan and delegation leader Irish MEP Lynn Boylan, along with two EU parliament staffers, were sent back to Brussels.
The Israeli Interior Ministry cited Hassan’s support for boycotting Israel as the reason for her ban. Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel said Hassan has “consistently worked to promote boycotts against Israel in addition to numerous public statements both on social media and in media interviews.”
Arbel’s decision followed a recommendation from Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism.
“The State of Israel is not obligated to allow the entry of any official from a foreign country, including members of parliament, if they work to boycott and undermine its legitimacy,” said Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli.
“Rima Hassan leads hostile campaigns against Israel, calls for boycotts and encourages economic sanctions,” he added.