Israel publishes BDS blacklist of organisations banned from entering country

Members of 20 international organizations that promote a boycott campaign of Israel, many of them affiliated with the BDS movement, will be banned from entering the country, according to a list published Sunday by the Ministry of Strategic Affairs.

The list was created after Israel’s parliament in March approved legislation that would deny entry visas to foreign nationals who publicly back or call for any kind of boycott — economic, cultural or academic — of Israel or its West Bank settlements.

BDS, which stands for ”boycott, divestment and sanctions,” aims to pressure Israel into complying with international law vis-à-vis its policies toward the Palestinians. The movement discourages the purchase of Israeli goods, pressures international companies not to conduct business in Israel and urges celebrities not to visit or perform in the country.

The Israeli government increasingly views the BDS campaign as a threat and has ramped up the fight against what it calls delegitimization efforts.

Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, appointed to spearhead the battle against BDS and other such movements, said Sunday that the blacklisting was “another step in our work to thwart anti-Israel boycott organizations.”

“The state of Israel will actively prevent such groups from spreading their falsehoods and odious methods from within the country,” he said.

The ban will include individuals who hold senior positions in the listed organizations and those who are particularly active in promoting the boycott, including establishment figures from various countries.

Although details of the ban have yet to be fully worked out, the ministry said that there was no intention of barring entry to individuals who express political criticism of Israel and that it would not apply to those who hold Israeli citizenship.

Full list of the organizations set to be banned entry into Israel:

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