Devendra Kumar
Ghassan Abu Sitta, a well-known UK-Palestinian surgeon, was denied entry to France at the Charles de Gaulle airport, despite being invited to speak at a senate meeting about the Israel-Hamas war. French authorities did not provide a reason for the decision, but a French official revealed that Germany had placed a one-year ban on Dr. Abu Sitta’s entry to Europe. The medic tweeted that he was being sent back to London and was told he was denied entry due to a one-year ban by Germany.
Dr. Abu Sitta was scheduled to speak at a colloquium organized by the French parliament’s left-wing Ecologists group, where he would share his experiences as a medic in Gaza hospitals. The event was set to feature testimony from medics, journalists, and international legal experts with Gaza-related experience. The French senate’s press service confirmed the invitation, but the French foreign ministry, interior ministry, local police, and the Paris airport authority refused to comment on the incident.
This is not the first time Dr. Abu Sitta has been denied entry to a country. Last month, he was refused entry to Germany when he attempted to attend a pro-Palestinian conference. He was stopped at passport control, held for several hours, and then told he had to return to the UK, citing concerns about “the safety of the people at the conference and public order”.
Dr. Abu Sitta has extensive experience working in conflict zones, including Gaza, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. He has volunteered with Doctors Without Borders in Gaza and has worked during multiple conflicts in the Palestinian territories, starting in the late 1980s during the first Palestinian uprising. The French expert, Raymonde Poncet Monge, who had invited Dr. Abu Sitta to the senate, described the situation as “a shame” and called on authorities to take action.
Tensions related to the Middle East conflict have been escalating in France, with almost daily protests and demonstrations occurring since the October 7 Hamas incursion into Israel. Police have been deployed to clear out students at French campuses holding demonstrations and sit-ins, mirroring similar protests in the United States. The incident has raised questions about freedom of speech and the treatment of Palestinian advocates in the context of the ongoing conflict.