Israel passes law banning entry for boycott supporters

By Kaamil Ahmed

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel’s parliament (Knesset) Monday evening passed into law a bill barring the entry for advocates of boycotting settlement goods.

Supporters of the law argue that the legislation was the next step in Israel's battle with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS), which they claim targets Israel as a whole and accuse of being anti-Semitic.

"Banning BDS supporters that come here to harm us from within is the minimum we can do [to fight] against those Israel-haters," said Jewish Home party lawmaker Bezalel Smotrich.

The law allows Israel's interior ministry to refuse visas to people in groups linked to BDS or who have supported a boycott of Israel.

On its Facebook page, BDS drew a link between the new law and U.S. President Donald Trump's new executive order banning citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

"Today, Trump and Israel both passed racist and repressive bans. Trump against Muslims and Arabs, and Israel against human rights defenders who call for the boycott of Israel or its illegal settlements to secure Palestinian rights," the organization said.

"The BDS movement is an integral part of the rising global resistance to the far-right—in DC, Tel Aviv and many cities in between,” it said.

BDS calls for economic, cultural and academic institutions it believes are linked to violence against Palestinians to pressure Israel into withdrawing from the occupied West Bank, recognize the rights of Arab citizens of Israel and allow the return of Palestinians who fled after Israel's establishment in 1948.