Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked is looking to keep Amnesty International employees who support the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement out of Israel.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
In its latest report, released last month, the human-rights organizations accused Israel of subjecting Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and within Israeli territory itself to apartheid. Amnesty International further accused the Jewish state of committing crimes against humanity in the report.
Shaked is currently consulting with Interior Ministry and Population and Immigration Authority officials on the matter.
Israel Hayom has learned that Jerusalem recently authorized the entry of radical BDS activists, some of whom were involved in attacks on settlers. The authorization was given despite claims from the nongovernmental organization DMU it supplied the Interior and Foreign Ministries with evidence of those activists violating the boycott law, engaging in BDS activity, and having ties to terrorist groups.
The 50 radical activists in question belong to a French boycott organization known as the
Association France Palestine Solidarité. The AFPS was previously blacklisted by the Strategic Affairs Ministry for funding terrorist activity. In 2019, the head of the AFPS, Bertrand Heilbronn, and his deputy at the organization, Ann Toulon, allegedly took part in an attack on Tzuriel Lilintel and his family at a farm in the Jordan Valley.
After contacting the Foreign Ministry about the issue of the activists' entry, the Interior Ministry was told they did not meet the criteria for declining their request to enter the country.
In a statement, Interior Ministry officials said, "To prevent such cases from recurring, the minister intends to promote a working plan that will prevent the entry of boycott supporters into Israel. Within the framework of this plan, a mechanism will be established that will determine who meets the definition of a boycott supporter, who is banned by law from entering Israel, and their entry will not be allowed. The decision will be transferred to the Foreign Ministry, and if there are specific objections or justifications, the Foreign Ministry will be asked to relay its claims on the matter and we will examine them."
DMU said: "AFPS is the main BDS organization in France, which also transfers money to terrorist groups. The State of Israel has already stated the organization is not allowed to enter Israel. Nevertheless, a red carpet was rolled out for the organization's delegation, and it was able to enter the country easily.
Amnesty International did not respond to the report.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said: "Based on the information received on the delegation and additional tests we conducted, we assessed that there was no basis to deny the delegation entry based on the criteria defined in Amendment 28 to the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (denial of entry on the basis of a call for a boycott).
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
