France Bans Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir: Which Israeli Leaders Have Faced Sanctions?

France has banned far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering its territory, citing his “unacceptable” behavior when he mocked activists from a Gaza-bound boat who were detained by Israeli police.

“As of today, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering French territory. This decision comes after his unacceptable actions toward French and European citizens who were passengers on the Global Sumud Flotilla,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced on X on Saturday.

“We cannot accept that French citizens can be threatened, intimidated, or mistreated in this way — especially by a public official,” Barrot said, also calling on the European Union to sanction Ben-Gvir.

Ben-Gvir posted a video on social media showing him gloating as activists from the flotilla knelt on the floor, blindfolded and hands bound, at the port of Ashdod. Organizations of the Global Sumud Flotilla said freed activists reported at least 15 cases of sexual assault during their detention in Israel.

Ben-Gvir is an open admirer of Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli who killed 29 Palestinians while they were praying in Hebron in 1994. He has repeatedly been convicted by Israeli courts of “inciting racism.” Poland has also banned Ben-Gvir, announcing a five-year ban from last Thursday.

The French ban comes weeks after the EU imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers and pro-settlement groups. Ben-Gvir is one of several Israeli leaders and organizations that have been temporarily or fully banned by Western countries, or sanctioned under international law, since Israel's war in Gaza began in October 2023.

Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for the Israeli Prime Minister and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over their actions in the Gaza war. The ICC said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that Gallant and Netanyahu “intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, medicines and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.” As a result, the accused are now internationally wanted suspects, and ICC member states have a legal obligation to arrest them.

Bezalel Smotrich

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, along with Ben-Gvir, was banned from entering Slovenia in July last year. The Slovenian government accused the pair of inciting “extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians” through their “genocidal statements.” Earlier, in June 2024, the UK, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada imposed sanctions on the two Israeli ministers, accusing them of inciting violence against Palestinians. Smotrich, who lives in an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank, has supported expanding settlements and called for the annexation of the territory.

Israeli settlers and settlement groups

Earlier this month, the European Union agreed to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers and settlement groups. The sanctions targeted three Israeli settlers and four settlement organizations, though their identities have not been publicly disclosed. In 2024, former US President Joe Biden issued a series of sanctions against 30 Israeli individuals and groups, including the powerful settlement development organization Amana. However, a few months later, after President Donald Trump was elected, the sanctions were lifted following his executive order in January 2025.