Israel has denied entry to two members of the European parliament from Sweden’s Left Party, Jonas Sjöstedt and Hanna Gedin, who had requested to visit the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
The pair were scheduled to arrive in Israel on Sunday night but were denied their visas in a decision made at the request of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, in accordance with the Entry into Israel Law.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Sjöstedt and Gedin have “consistently acted against Israel”, including by calling for “international legal proceedings” against Israelis.
On various occasions, they have accused Israel of genocide, deliberately starving Palestinians and intentionally targeting children and medical personnel, which Sa’ar labelled “false accusations”.
The Entry into Israel Law has, since 2017, allowed the government to deny visas to foreign nationals who have called for boycotts against the Jewish State.
It also allows ministers to bar visitors from entry if they are reasonably believed to be working against Israel’s interests.
Last April, two British Labour MPs, Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were prevented from entering Israel for a planned trip to the West Bank and were deported from Ben Gurion Airport.
Then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the decision “unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning,” but an embassy spokesperson said: “These individuals had accused Israel of false claims, were actively involved in promoting sanctions against Israeli ministers, and supported campaigns aimed at boycotting the State of Israel.”
Several months later, two more Labour MPs, including Dr Peter Prinsley, who is Jewish and a member of the Jewish Labour Movement, were similarly blocked, though Israel did not confirm the reason for the decision publicly.
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