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Bloomberg
Israel has blacklisted 20 groups from around the world that support the Palestinian-led boycott campaign against it, barring their members from entering the country. The organisations identified include the Association France Palestine Solidarite, Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and US-based Jewish Voice for Peace. It follows up on a law passed last year that bars visits by non-citizens and non-residents who support the boycott or belong to organizations that do.
The law doesn’t target political criticism of
Israel, but only those who take “material action†to harm it by advocating boycotts, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs said in a press statement.
“The boycott organisations are opposed to the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and are using the boycott as a means to undermine its legitimacy and existence,†Minister of Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan said in the release.
The groups support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, founded more than a decade ago to lobby businesses, academics, students and artists to shun Israel. While its impact has been financially negligible and the campaign has been defied by many, it has created an image problem for Israel by drawing support from high-profile names including the pop singer Lorde, who recently cancelled a scheduled performance.