Jewish BDS activists anxiously eye travel ban

A subset of American supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movements, many with strong Jewish upbringings, have found their access to Israel under increased scrutiny, after the Knesset passed a law on Monday allowing the Interior Ministry to ban BDS activists and supporters from the country.

“Sarah” (not her real name) is one such supporter who has lived in Israel for more than a year and is married to an Israeli. The new law now has the 29-year-old New York native questioning her family’s future in Israel.

(All of the BDS activists and supporters who spoke to The Jerusalem Post declined to reveal their names, fearing being banned from Israel or facing retribution in the workplace.)

“I am planning to have kids. I’ve been married to an Israeli for a few years and I am thinking on a personal level how this law will affect my plans,” said Sarah, who founded chapters of the proBDS Jewish Voice for Peace organization in the United States and works for a human rights organization in Israel.

“This information can be easily Googled. It doesn’t take long to find out that I’ve been part of [BDS] activities,” she said. “What’s the impact if my kids want to visit their grandparents in Israel? Will I not be able to go with them?”

The law, which passed in a 46-to-28 vote, allows the Interior Ministry to refuse entry or residency visas to non-Israelis if they have “issued a public call” to boycott Israel – including settlements in the

mentioned as possible candidates are those of Amona residents’ campaign head Avichai Boaron, and Col. Yonatan Branski, a former commander of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, who now serves as the director of the Nahal Haredi Foundation. •