British-Palestinian Surgeon Denied Entry to France to Discuss Gaza Conflict
A British-Palestinian surgeon, Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta, was denied entry to France on Saturday despite being invited to speak at a French Senate meeting about the Israel-Hamas war.
French authorities gave no reason for the decision and placed him in a holding zone at Charles de Gaulle airport, where he will be expelled.
Dr. Abu Sitta previously was banned from entering Europe by Germany for one year.
A Palestinian activist named Abu Sitta was prevented from attending a colloquium in Paris on the situation in Gaza, despite being invited by the French Senate's Ecologists group.
He was stopped at the airport and denied entry without explanation from the French Foreign Ministry, Interior Ministry, local police, or Paris airport authority.
Abu Sitta had previously been denied entry to Germany for a pro-Palestinian conference, with airport police citing "safety of the people at the conference and public order" as the reason.
Abu Sitta, a volunteer with Doctors Without Borders in Gaza, has a long history of working in conflict zones, including the Palestinian territories since the late 1980s, and countries like Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
France has experienced heightened tensions related to the Middle East conflict, with daily protests and sit-ins on campuses.
The French authorities have been clearing out these demonstrations.