Representatives of 21 organizations from around the world will not be allowed to enter Israel’s borders; “We have switched from defense to offense,” says minister in charge.
Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs on Sunday released a list of international pro-BDS organizations to be banned from the country for their calls to boycott the Jewish state.
“We have switched from defense to offense. The boycott organizations need to know that the State of Israel will act to stop them and prevent their representatives from entering the country to harm its citizens,” Minister of Public Security and Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan said in a statement.
According to a statement issued by the ministry, the list features the primary BDS groups, “who consistently and continuously act against the State of Israel by pressuring groups, institutions and states to boycott Israel. The groups’ activities are carried out via a campaign of falsehood and incitement, whose goal is to undermine Israel’s legitimacy around the world,” the ministry said in a statement.”
The ministry cited its successful track record in curtailing BDS efforts, highlighting the recent announcements by Denmark and Norway who said they would toughen their stances against the funding of pro-Palestinian organizations. The ministry also touted their efforts which they claim led 24 US states, as well as the federal government, to pass anti-BDS legislation.
“The formulation of this list is another step forwards in our battle against the incitement and lies of the BDS organizations. No country would grant entrance to visitors who seek to harm it, especially ones whose goal is to terminate Israel as a Jewish state,” said Erdan.
“As the minister in charge of the Israel Entry Law, I made it perfectly clear that I would use my authority to prevent individuals and representatives of groups whose sole purpose is to harm Israel and its security, from entering its borders,” said Interior Minister Aryeh Deri. “These people are trying to take advantage of the law and our hospitality in order to act against and defame Israel.”
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Rebecca Vilkomerson, JVP’s executive director issued a statement on the group’s Facebook page and said the ban was “disconcerting but not surprising, given the further erosion of democratic norms and rising anxiety about the power of BDS as a tool to demand freedom.” “We will not be bullied by these attempts to punish us for a principled political stance that increasing numbers of Jews and non-Jews support worldwide,” she said. Vilkomerson added: “As someone with considerable family in Israel, this policy will be a personal hardship. But I am also heartened by this indicator of the BDS movement’s growing strength, and hope that it will bring the day closer when just as I go to visit my friends and family in Israel, so will Palestinian friends and colleagues be able to return home.” The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign also issued a statement via its Facebook page and said being on the list was a “badge of honour” and that it was “in good company.” “The apartheid regime fears solidarity so much it will stop us from visiting our friends and colleagues in Palestine,” the group wrote. “Also worth noting that The Only Democracy™ is now openly banning Jews who hold the ‘wrong’ opinions on Zionism, the official state ideology in Israel.”
The following is the full list of organizations banned by the government:
Europe:
AFPS (The Association France Palestine Solidarity)
BDS France
BDS Italy
ECCP (The European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine)
FOA (Friends of Al-Aqsa)
IPSC (Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign)
Norge Palestinakomitee (The Palestine Committee of Norway)
PGS – Palestinagrupperna i Sverige (Palestine Solidarity Association in Sweden)
War on Want
BDS Kampagne
United States:
AFSC (American Friends Service Committee)
AMP (American Muslims for Palestine)
Code Pink
JVP (Jewish Voice for Peace)
NSJP (National Students for Justice in Palestine)
USCPR (US Campaign for Palestinian Rights)
South America:
BDS Chile
Africa:
BDS South Africa
International:
BNC (BDS National Committee)
