Israeli entry ban on French reporter fuels press freedom concerns as Paris treads carefully
LONDON: An Israeli decision to bar French journalist Alice Froussard from entering the country has triggered sharp criticism from press freedom advocacy groups and media organizations, even as France responded cautiously and avoided any overt diplomatic escalation.
Froussard, a reporter for Radio France Internationale who has covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for years, was denied entry at Ben Gurion airport on Wednesday and deported to France after being questioned and detained overnight, her employers said.
Israeli officials said the decision was based on the journalist’s public comments about the conflict.
The incident was quickly condemned by RFI, part of France’s public broadcasting corporation, which said the move was “an obstacle to press freedom” and noted that she had all the required travel authorization and had applied for a press visa to work in the West Bank.
