France bars Israeli settlement council head from entering the country
Yossi Dagan was questioned at a Paris airport before being told to leave French territory, Israeli media reported, and then travelled to Prague.
French authorities barred Yossi Dagan, head of the Shomron Regional Council, from entering the country on Wednesday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Citing Israeli media, WAFA reported the decision was taken during Dagan's visit to Paris, where he was reportedly surprised when he landed at one of the city's airports.
Immigration officials detained and questioned him there before formally informing him that he would be denied entry, the reports said.
During the questioning, French officials presented documents they said showed his direct role in establishing dozens of outposts in the occupied West Bank, the reports said.
After being told to leave French territory, Dagan travelled to the Czech capital, Prague, where he was due to hold a series of meetings with officials.
The Shomron Regional Council administers numerous Israeli settlements in the northern occupied West Bank.
In July, Dagan led the signing of an 8.5 billion-shekel ($2.3 billion) framework agreement to expand settlements across the occupied West Bank, including about 12,000 new housing units, the report said.
Amnesty International, as cited in the report, described his role as “a central, state-sanctioned component of an ethnic cleansing campaign.”
Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory to be illegal under international law.
