Israel's Interior Ministry allegedly canceled entry visas for 27 left-wing French parliament members and officials a day before they were planning to visit Israel and the West Bank, AFP reported on Monday.
Those who saw their visas canceled included Francois Ruffin, Alexis Corbiere, and Julie Ozenne from the Ecologist party, along with members of the Communist party, such as Soumya Bourouaha and Marianne Margate, according to the report.
Other members of the group included mayors and local officials.
"For the first time, two days before our departure, the Israeli authorities canceled our entry visas that had been approved one month ago," they were cited as saying.
"We want to understand what led to this sudden decision, which resembles collective punishment," they added.
They also claimed they had been invited to the area by the French consulate in Jerusalem, visiting the area to "strengthen international cooperation and the culture of peace."
According to AFP, the group urged French President Emmanuel Macron to take action, noting that "Deliberately preventing elected officials and parliamentarians from travelling cannot be without consequences."
Two British MPs denied entry
In early April, two British MPs, Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, were denied entrance to Israel after an investigation reportedly revealed that the two wished to enter the country to document the activities of security forces and spread anti-Israel hatred.
This is a developing story.
Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.