“Rima Hassan has made comments which I consider unacceptable and which may come under the heading of apology for terrorism,” said French lawmaker Patrick Mignola, adding that ‘if a court were to rule that this is indeed apology for terrorism, the question of loss of nationality could quite naturally arise’.
‘’Rima Hassan’s comments on the “legitimate action” of Hamas will “quite naturally” raise the question of her “loss of nationality” in the event of conviction for apology for terrorism, declared the French Minister for Relations with Parliament, Patrick Mignola, on Sunday.
In an interview last week, the French Member of the European Parliament of Syrian-Palestinian origin, who is from the extreme-left ”La France Insoumise’’ (France Unbowed) party, said that Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas, were not murdered by Hamas and pointed the finger of responsibility at the “occupation and colonization regime imposed by Israel”.
She also said that the Palestinian terrorist group ‘’has a legitimate action from the point of view of international law” that justifies “armed struggle in a context of colonization”, while acknowledging that not all “procedures”, such as hostage-taking or exactions, are legitimate.
“Rima Hassan has made comments which I consider unacceptable and which may come under the heading of apology for terrorism,” Mignola said on Jewish radio Radio J, adding that ‘if a court were to rule that this is indeed apology for terrorism, the question of loss of nationality could quite naturally arise’.
He accused La France Insoumise party of “flirting with anti-Semitism by imagining it would flatter the Muslim electorate”, at the risk of “becoming the shame of France after having been the shame of the Left”.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau last week also slammed Hassan’s remarks, calling them ‘’totally unacceptable.’’ ‘’Hamas is a terrorist organization that tramples on international law, when it kills hostages, when it commits attacks, when it propagates anti-Semitic hatred and when it calls for the destruction of a state. As of today, I am notifying the Paris public prosecutor of these remarks, which are tantamount to an apology for terrorism,’’ the minister added.
One week ago, Rima Hassan was barred from entry into Israel as she arrived at Ben Gurion airport with a parliamentary delegation and 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.”