French Holiday Village Manager Arrested After Refusing 150 Israeli Children

French authorities have arrested the manager of a holiday village in the southwest of France after he refused to host a group of 150 Israeli children aged 8 to 16, despite the group booking their stay well in advance.

The incident took place in the town of Porté-Puymorens, near the French, Spanish, and Andorran borders. According to AFP, the 52-year-old manager, whose name has not been released, told police he blocked the children’s entry due to his “personal principles.”

Investigators detained him on charges of “refusing to provide service or carry out a transaction based on religious discrimination.”

While the man has no prior criminal record, the offense carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison.

A French court confirmed Thursday afternoon that “the group of Israeli tourists was safely transferred, under police protection, to another site in the country,” and that a formal investigation is under way.

The case comes amid heightened strains between Israel and France. Earlier this week, Orthodox Jewish families from across Europe vacationing in a resort in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region discovered their cars vandalized with graffiti reading “Free Palestine.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a sharply worded letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, criticizing his plan to recognize a Palestinian state next month.

“I am deeply concerned by the disturbing rise of antisemitism in France and by the lack of decisive action from your government to address it,” Netanyahu wrote. “In recent years, antisemitism has plagued French cities, and since your public statements attacking Israel and signaling recognition of a Palestinian state, it has only increased.”

Paris rejected the criticism. French European Affairs Minister Benjamin Haddad responded: “We do not need lessons on fighting antisemitism.”