Rima Hassan Faces Hostile Passengers After Being Deported from Israel

Recently expelled from Israel, Rima Hassan faced a tense atmosphere on her return journey, as some passengers on her flight reportedly reacted with hostility towards her. The incident highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding her situation and its broader political context.

Tensions Erupt Upon Rima Hassan’s Return

After three days held in detention by Israel, the Franco-Palestinian MEP LFI Rima Hassan landed back in Paris on Thursday evening. Yet, the journey home was anything but smooth. As soon as her flight from Tel Aviv touched down at Roissy, tempers flared among passengers: some waved Israeli flags, while others made no secret of their pro-Palestinian sympathies. According to an airport source, « Il y a eu une situation conflictuelle à bord, avec d’autres voyageurs (…) suite à un mouvement de voyageurs hostiles », which forced border police to intervene and discreetly escort Ms. Hassan off the plane.

A Defiant Welcome at Place de la République

Rather than cross paths with waiting pro-Palestinian demonstrators and fellow members of LFI in the arrivals hall—where chants of « Free Palestine » rang out—Ms. Hassan slipped away directly to Place de la République. There, a group including around fifteen deputies from her party, as well as the prominent figure Jean-Luc Mélenchon, greeted her with a show of solidarity. Wrapped in a keffieh and still clad in the tracksuit she wore during detention, she warmly embraced her activist colleague Reva Viard, who had also been released that day.

The Political Message Behind the Operation

Taking the microphone before supporters, Ms. Hassan underlined the intention behind their latest initiative: « Tout le monde le sait, elle était symbolique, mais elle était éminemment politique : il s’agissait surtout de dénoncer le blocus et de le briser. ». In early June, she and eleven others—including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, along with journalists from France and Brazil—set sail on the Madleen from Italy. Their aim was clear: deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza by sea. But their mission was abruptly halted when Israeli forces boarded their vessel in international waters roughly 185 kilometers offshore.

The immediate repercussions were stark:

• Banned for one hundred years from entering Israel for all twelve participants.
• Detained then rapidly expelled, sometimes after being held in isolation.
• Pledge for further actions: Rima Hassan announced « as many boats as necessary » would follow.

An Escalating International Challenge to Gaza’s Blockade

This latest operation by the Coalition for Freedom Flotilla comes at a moment when global scrutiny of Israel’s policies is rising sharply. The United Nations recently denounced what it called « le choix délibéré d’Israël de priver les Gazaouis des moyens de leur survie ». Since October 7, 2023—a date marked by attacks leaving over a thousand dead on the Israeli side—the ensuing military campaign has resulted in more than 55,000 Palestinian victims, according to local health authorities figures considered credible by the UN.

As two more French nationals prepare to return to Paris on Friday evening, it is clear that efforts—and tensions—surrounding the humanitarian blockade remain far from abating.