Defending itself, Israel banned provocateurs from entering its borders.
A group of five prominent anti-Israel l BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement activists were prevented Monday from boarding a flight from Washington, D.C., to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport.
The anti-Zionist organization Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) had coordinated the “interfaith delegation” to Israel. When the group attempted to check in for a Lufthansa flight to Tel Aviv at Dulles International Airport, they were informed the Israeli government had ordered they not be allowed to board.
The activists prohibited from boarding included JVP members Rabbi Alissa Wise, Alana Krivo-Kaufman and Noah Habeeb, as well as Rick Ufford Chase of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship and Shakeel Syed, a national board member with American Muslims for Palestine.
“We were told at check-in that the airline has a letter from the Israeli government saying we are not allowed to fly to Israel. I wasn’t even able to get as far as checking my bag,” said Wise, according to a JVP statement. She added, “I’m heartbroken and outraged.”
Israel’s move falls in line with the Knesset legislature’s recent approval of a bill forbidding BDS activists from entering the Jewish state.
JVO recently granted a platform to convicted Palestinian terrorist and activist Rasmea Odeh, from which she denounced Israel.
A member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization, she spent 10 years in an Israeli jail before her release in a prisoner exchange with the PFLP in 1980.
JVP said it was “honored” and “proud” to feature Odeh, describing her as a “deeply respected Palestinian organizer.”
The Anti-Defamation League listed JVP as one of America’s top 10 anti-Israel groups.
By: JNS.org and United with Israel Staff