French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced on Tuesday that the French government is banning Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering French territory, along with other measures against West Bank settler violence enacted with the United Kingdom, Canada and Norway, AzerNEWS reports.
Barrot accused Smotrich of “actively promoting” the annexation of the West Bank, as well as the “recolonization of Gaza and the economic collapse of the Palestinian Authority.” He added that these views cannot be accepted by countries committed to the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday that troops operating near the Ramim Ridge, a strategic elevation in the Upper Galilee along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, came under fire. Soldiers returned shots, killing the assailant. No Israeli injuries were reported.
“IDF soldiers are continuing to conduct searches in the area, with Israeli Air Force aircraft operating overhead after being dispatched to the scene. The IDF remains in close contact with the local authorities,” they said.