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Israel passes law barring foreign BDS activists from entry
http://legalinsurrection.com/ ^ | 03/09/2017 | Miriam Elman

Posted on 03/09/2017 12:58:28 PM PST by heterosupremacist

Subtitle: Boycotters of Israel upset that Israel is boycotting them!

On Monday night (March 6), Israel’s parliament (the Knesset) passed in its second and final reading a law barring the entry of foreign nationals who have “knowingly and publicly” called for boycotting Israel or who “represent an organization” that calls for such a boycott.

The law extends the ban to those foreign visitors (excluding permanent residents) who back the anti-Israel BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) movement and to those who support the boycott of settlement goods in Judea and Samaria/the West Bank.

The legislation, which passed with 46 votes in favor and 28 against, was sponsored by center-right political parties and had been in the works for over a year, as discussed in detail in my prior post, Will Israel Bar Entry of Foreign BDS Activists?

As noted, the law aims to combat anti-Israel, BDS-promoting tourist activism that’s gone on unimpeded in the country for years. These foreign activists foment and participate in often violent protests, then take film of the Israeli police response in order to demonize Israel in furtherance of the boycott movement.

To my mind, it’s a perfectly reasonable move for Israel to prevent foreigners from abusing tourist visas in order to try to destroy Israel.

(Excerpt) Read more at legalinsurrection.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
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The new legislation is supposed to improve the current situation by replacing an existing law that grants any foreign visitor from a friendly country an automatic 3-month entry visa, except for those who the Interior Minister specifically barred.

The new law flips the situation around such that entry for individuals affiliated with designated pro-BDS organizations would be automatically banned, unless the Interior Minister allows it.

So a key component of the law is “shifting the burden” from the state to the foreign activists themselves. Now, instead of the Ministry of the Interior having to account for why someone shouldn’t be admitted into the country, it’ll be up to the BDS-supporting visitors to “persuade the state” why she or he should be allowed in.

The law aims to address the absurd situation that’s developed in Israel where foreign BDS activists enter Israel under false pretenses and routinely take advantage of automatically issued tourist visas to engage in political warfare against the state.

Every nation on the planet is entitled to control its borders and determine which foreign nationals can enter. Israel isn’t particularly unique in refusing entry to people determined to be threats to the state, but the law makes such bans more transparent because individuals would no longer be refused entry into Israel on a case-by-case basis, left solely up to the discretion of the government.

1 posted on 03/09/2017 12:58:28 PM PST by heterosupremacist
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To: heterosupremacist

Israel should have done that long ago.


2 posted on 03/09/2017 12:59:57 PM PST by Pollster1 ("Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed")
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To: Pollster1

We should be doing the same, to anyone who is outspokenly opposed to America but is not a citizen. If this is such a bad place, why do you want to come here?


3 posted on 03/09/2017 1:12:47 PM PST by JimRed ( TERM LIMITS, NOW! Building the Wall! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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To: heterosupremacist

BDS, not just Israel but a lot of people should speak out at least, against BDS. It sounds like it is on college campuses.


4 posted on 03/09/2017 1:13:35 PM PST by BeadCounter
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To: heterosupremacist

This is GREAT! A lot of Jews want it both ways - they visit the Holy Land, take lots of pictures, go back to NYC, show everyone what a wonderful time they had - and then FIGHT LIKE HELL to get Israel destroyed.

Not so easy anymore!

Another bunch goes to Israel to ‘organize resistance’, to use an Obama term...they too will have a tough time getting in.


5 posted on 03/09/2017 2:02:07 PM PST by BobL (In Honor of the NeverTrumpers, I declare myself as FR's first 'Imitation NeverTrumper')
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