Israeli Knesset Has a Message for BDS Supporters
It wasn’t a new idea, but perhaps President Donald Trump’s plan to keep out those who would wish to do Americans harm convinced them to dust it off and give it another go.
Whatever the reason, the Israeli Knesset was poised Monday to approve a new law that would prohibit Boycott-Divest-Sanction Movement supporters from entering the country. The bill passed on its first legislative test last November with overwhelming support, and was widely expected to do so again on final passage.
The proposed legislation, advanced by right-wing and centrist coalition lawmakers, would see Israel prevent foreign nationals who have publicly called for a boycott of the Jewish state or work on behalf of an organization that advocates these measures from entering Israel.
The law also extends to supporters of boycotts of West Bank settlement products, resting on a legal definition of an Israel boycott in a 2011 law that includes all “areas under its control.”
It would not apply to foreign nationals who have a residency permit and gives the interior minister leeway to make exceptions. Under the existing law, the interior minister already has the right to bar individuals from entering Israel.
As of this writing, no final vote has been reported on the measure in the Israeli media. {eoa}
