Israel: Ban on entry for all who support boycotting the country

The Israeli parliament has adopted a new law banning entry into the country for all who support boycotting the Jewish state, writes The Guardian, Patria reports.

- A visa or residence permit of any kind will not be granted to persons who are not citizens of Israel or permanent residents if they, or organizations or bodies in which they are active, have knowingly called for a boycott of the State of Israel or have participated in such a boycott, the parliament's statement reads.

Israel has faced boycotts throughout all 50 years of the occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, but has recently intensified its diplomatic and legal fight against similar campaigns and movements.

The BDS (The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement and the campaign for a global boycott of Israel, among other things, demand Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel views this movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of antisemitism, which BDS denies.

The daily newspaper Haaretz claims that the new law is formulated in a way that allows for its abuse against Palestinians living in Israel with temporary residence permits while they await permanent residency approval (mostly those with spouses of Israeli-Arab origin).

Last year, Israeli institutions refused to renew the travel documents of a prominent leader of the BDS campaign, Omar Barghouti. Although he comes from a Palestinian family, Barghouti was born in Qatar. His wife is of Israeli-Arab origin and as such has permanent resident status, but not full citizenship. However, Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri is considering revoking Barghouti's residence permit, sources from the ministry report.