Ben-Gvir AI videos spark French Foreign Ministry rebuke

The French Foreign Ministry launched an unusual public attack on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after he posted an AI-generated election video showing a Palestinian from Gaza magically transported to Paris.

On the official French Response account on X, operated by the French Foreign Ministry and used in part to combat disinformation, the French posted the video alongside a personal jab at Ben-Gvir: "Imagine you have a magic lamp, and you waste your wish on Ben-Gvir. Even magic can't undo his ban from entering France."

Ben-Gvir responded in French, linking France's position on the Palestinian issue to the riots taking place in the country: "I'm sure you're very pleased with what's happening in the streets of France. You got what you wanted: a Palestinian state!"

The online confrontation comes against the backdrop of France's decision to ban Ben-Gvir from entering its territory and the ongoing riots in France.

In May, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the ban following anger in Paris over the treatment of terror activists arrested after participating in a flotilla to Gaza.

France is not the only Western country to impose an entry ban on the minister. Other countries that have taken similar steps include Britain, Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia.

The video that sparked the storm

In the video, posted Monday with French subtitles, an elderly man is seen sitting among ruins holding a magic lamp. A genie figure resembling Aladdin emerges, played by Ben-Gvir, and the man asks to leave the place, which appears to be the Gaza Strip.

In an instant he is transported to Paris, where he is seen holding a baguette with the Eiffel Tower in the background. The man thanks Ben-Gvir, who tells him in Hebrew: "Here you'll feel right at home." He then responds in Arabic, "Thank you," and the video ends with the name of the Otzma Yehudit party.

Another video Ben-Gvir posted presents Paris as the new Palestine, while an AI figure of Ben-Gvir tells France it "got what it wanted."