The action came only days after Israel stopped two British members of parliament from the governing Labour party from entering the occupied territories.
It also came amidst diplomatic tensions after President Emmanuel Macron said France would soon recognise a Palestinian state. Macron has in turn sought to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over conditions in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Israel’s interior ministry said visas for the 27 had been cancelled under a law that allows authorities to ban people who could act against “the state of Israel”.
Seventeen members of the group, from France’s Ecologist and Communist parties, said they had been victims of “collective punishment” by Israel and called on Macron to intervene.
They announced in a statement that they had been invited on a five-day trip by the French consulate in Jerusalem.
They had intended to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of their mission to “strengthen international cooperation and the culture of peace”, they added.
“For the first time, two days before our departure, the Israeli authorities cancelled our entry visas that had been approved one month ago,” they noted.
“We want to understand what led to this sudden decision, which resembles collective punishment,” stated the group.
The delegation included National Assembly deputies Francois Ruffin, Alexis Corbière and Julie Ozenne from the Ecologist party, Communist deputy Soumya Bourouaha and Communist senator Marianne Margate.
The other members were left-wing town mayors and local lawmakers.
The statement denounced the ban as a “major rupture in diplomatic ties”.
“Deliberately preventing elected officials and parliamentarians from travelling cannot be without consequences,” the group noted, demanding a meeting with Macron and action by the government to ensure Israel let them into the occupied territories.
The group added their parties had for decades called for recognition of a Palestinian state, which Macron said last week could come at an international conference in June.
Israeli authorities this month detained British members of parliament Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed at Tel Aviv airport and deported them, citing the same reason. Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the action “unacceptable”.
In February, Israel stopped two left-wing European parliament deputies, Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan and Lynn Boylan from Ireland, from entering.
Netanyahu has reacted with fury to France’s possible recognition of a Palestinian state. He said establishing a Palestinian state next to Israel would be a “huge reward for terrorism”.
