ISTANBUL

French authorities have stopped renewing work visas for Israeli airline El Al’s security personnel in Paris, Israeli media said Tuesday, amid tension over France’s plan to recognize the Palestinian state.

According to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, the employees – registered as ITAN staff, or Israeli citizens working in diplomatic missions – previously held visas allowing them to live and work in France legally. The reported decision means they are now considered to be working and residing in the country without valid permits.

The newspaper said many workers have been forced to obtain temporary diplomatic visas through Israel’s embassy in Paris, while others have returned to Israel after failing to secure renewals.

There has been no official confirmation from French authorities.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry told The Jerusalem Post that the matter is being handled by its embassy in Paris in coordination with the French Foreign Ministry.

The reported move comes after a series of incidents targeting the airline in the French capital. Last week, El Al’s Paris office was vandalized with graffiti reading “El Al genocide airline,” prompting the company to evacuate all personnel from the city.

On Monday, El Al pilots reported that an air traffic controller at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport shouted “Free Palestine” over the intercom as their plane taxied to the runway.

Tension escalated between France and Israel after French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September.

Israel is facing mounting condemnation for its genocidal war on Gaza, where it has killed nearly 61,600 Palestinians since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.