Israel is taking steps to remove the residency rights of Omar Barghouti, founder of the Israel boycott movement BDS.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has asked immigration officials to review his status as a first step towards booting him out of the country, according to Israeli media.

The minister said on Sunday: “I plan to act quickly to revoke Omar Barghouti’s resident status in Israel. He is a person who is doing everything to hurt the country, and therefore, he cannot enjoy the privilege of being a resident of Israel.”

The Qatar-born Palestinian activist, who has been married to an Israeli Arab woman for 26 years, lives in Acre. He has a master’s degree in ethics from Tel Aviv University and is registered for a PhD there.

In April this year, he was denied entry to the United States and last month failed to secure a visa in time to attend a Palestine Solidarity Campaign event during the Labour Party conference.

Over the past two years, Israel has stepped up its response against BDS.

In 2017, the Knesset passed a law to ban foreign supporters of the boycott movement from entering the country.