Following the British government’s decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements, Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli has instructed ministry officials to create a proposal for the Population and Immigration Authority regarding preventing representatives and activists of British organizations that work to promote a boycott against the State of Israel from entering the country.
Among the organizations whose representatives the ministry recommended be barred from entering are Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam, Save the Children, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Palestine Action.
Chikli said that the organizations included in the proposal have for years conducted extensive anti-Israel activity in the international and British arenas, including promoting Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and applying diplomatic and economic pressure on Israel.
Some organizations have alleged links to Muslim Brotherhood
Additionally, some of the organizations have purported links to entities associated with the Muslim Brotherhood movement and Islamist networks in Britain and Europe, as well as connections to other designated organizations such as Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Accordingly, Director-General of the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry Avi Cohen-Skali recommended to the Population and Immigration Authority that it prevent the entry of these groups into Israel.
Taken together, their activities, and particularly their efforts to promote measures against the State of Israel, warrant consideration of preventing their representatives and activists from entering Israel, Chikli added.
Following the coordinated announcement yesterday that Canada, the UK and 10 European countries including France are imposing trade bans and economic sanctions on Israel, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar imposed retaliatory measures.
These include shutting down the United Kingdom’s consulate in east Jerusalem, the expulsion of British representatives at the Kiryat Gat Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) and the termination of UK forces’ training of Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces in Ramallah.
Furthermore, Sa’ar banned the entry of 12 British elected representatives and other British nationals: MPs Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana, Naz Shah, Diane Abbott, Hannah Spencer, Carla Denyer, Sian Berry, Ellie Chowns, John McDonnell, Richard Burgon and Adrian Ramsay, as well as Riverway to the Sea director Fahad Ansari.