Americans for Peace Now cancels annual Israel trip over anti-boycott law

Americans for Peace Now has canceled its annual trip to Israel over the country’s new anti-boycott law.

The law passed last month by the Israeli Knesset bars entry to foreigners who publicly call for boycotting the Jewish state or its settlements.

Americans for Peace Now was concerned that trip participants could be stopped at Ben-Gurion Airport and denied entry into Israel, according to a report published in Haaretz this week. The group has been holding its Israel Study Tour for 30 years. This is the first time the trip has been canceled.

Peace Now reportedly canceled the early June tour after it failed to get assurances from the Israeli government that participants would be able to enter the country.

Haaretz said it obtained a copy of a letter sent on Friday by the organization’s directors to prospective participants, which included board members and donors.

It read in part: “We do not know yet whether we will reschedule this tour to another date this year or whether we’ll have to suspend our Israel Study Tour program indefinitely, until the law is either revoked, amended or applied in a way that does not impact APN, its staff members, board members and activists.”

The ban applies to any foreigner “who knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel that, given the content of the call and the circumstances in which it was issued, has a reasonable possibility of leading to the imposition of a boycott – if the issuer was aware of this possibility.” The law includes those who urge a boycott of areas under Israeli control, such as West Bank settlements.

It also applies to other individuals actively engaged in the Boycott, Sanctions, Divestment movement. Its defenders claim that BDS is based on wrong assumptions and often serves as a smokescreen for people whose true motivation is to delegitimize Israel and see the Jewish state disappear. Lawmakers have asserted that the measure was meant to target groups, not individuals.

The tour itinerary was to include meetings with Israeli and Palestinian politicians, security experts, civil society and peace activists, writers and artists.

A message of “Page not found” was seen in place of the study tour section on the group’s website.