Jerusalem: Members of 20 international organisations that promote a boycott campaign of Israel, known collectively as 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, divest 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 delegitimisation efforts.
Read the full article by Ruth Eglash at the Sydney Morning Herald.