Israel denied entry to European Parliament member Rima Hassan on Monday after accusing her of promoting boycotts of the country.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel said French politician Hassan has “consistently worked to promote boycotts against Israel in addition to numerous public statements both on social media and in media interviews.”
Hassan, 32, who was born in Aleppo, Syria, and is a member of The Left group in the European Parliament, traveled by air to Israel with four other lawmakers as part of an EU-Palestine delegation, according to her office, which said it was unaware of the decision to bar her entry to Israel. On arrival, she was denied entry into Israel and was forced to wait for a return flight to Europe.
Israeli legislators passed a law this month that prohibits entry to the country to people who have denied Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack or expressed support for the international prosecution of Israeli soldiers.
The law, which affects non-citizens and non-residents of Israel, builds on previous legislation that denied entry to anyone calling for a boycott of Israel. The law also bans the entry of Holocaust deniers.
The original law was seen by opponents as an attempt by Israel to silence critics and it was used on multiple occasions to bar entry to activists who support the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, known as BDS.
Supporters portray BDS as nonviolent activism based on a similar campaign against apartheid South Africa. Israel views the movement as an attack on its very legitimacy and accuses some of its organizers of antisemitism, allegations they deny.
On Friday, Hassan and The Left group called for the immediate suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement – a pact that underpins their relations – given the International Court of Justice investigation into crimes committed against Palestinians in Gaza.
Hassan, who hails from the French hard-left France Unbowed, called for a rally outside EU headquarters where the meeting was taking place on Monday and where some protestors had gathered.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is currently in on a diplomatic visit to Brussels for the EU-Israel Association Council. The council does not meet frequently, and the current meeting was called amid pressure from Spain and Ireland to suspend the forum over Israel’s actions in Gaza. Saar met with several European leaders in Brussels.
Earlier on Monday, Saar told reporters Israel was used to facing criticism and ready to approach all discussions with an open mind.
“It’s OK as long as the criticism is not connected to the delegitimization, demonization or double standards, which from time to time are things we see in the attacks against Israel,” he said.
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Cook reported from Brussels.
