BRITISH charities, Palestinian advocacy organisations and Palestine Action yesterday condemned an official Israeli letter maligning their representatives and recommending they be barred from entering Israel.
The letter, issued by Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-semitism, recommends that border authorities bar employees and activists associated with Oxfam, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Save the Children, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and the Norwegian Refugee Council, which receives UK funding, as well as the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Friends of Al-Aqsa.
It is dated September 8th, the day the UK banned imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israel had warned of ‘consequences’ for what it called ‘hostile moves’, and shortly after the ban it barred 11 British MPs and a lawyer from entering, ordered the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem, removed British representatives from the International Gaza Support Centre in Kiryat Gat and ended British training of Palestinian Authority forces in the occupied West Bank.
‘In light of this, attention should be directed to the ongoing and subversive activities of various British organisations promoting boycotts, sanctions, and economic and political measures against the State of Israel,’ the letter reads.
Its accusations against 11 groups in total range from advocating engagement with Hamas for humanitarian access and demanding an arms embargo to having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood or working with ‘terrorist’ organisations.
Save the Children is accused of describing Israel’s actions as ‘deliberate starvation’ and ‘genocide’.
A spokesperson said it is already unable to secure visas for staff needing to cross Israeli-controlled borders into Gaza or the West Bank, ‘at a time when needs have never been greater’.
Ismail Patel, founder of Friends of Al-Aqsa, is accused of joining anti-Israel demonstrations in London and making ‘harsh statements against Israel’.
‘To hear Israel is planning to ban Friends of Al-Aqsa for our Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign clearly shows BDS is working and impacting Israel,’ he said. ‘Israeli restrictions will not intimidate us.’
The letter describes Palestine Action as a ‘network of radical branches promoting direct action intended to damage the Israeli defence industry’.
Co-founder Huda Ammori said: ‘This letter is further proof that we were not banned because of anything to do with “terrorism”. As the letter admits, our activity was always focused on damaging the Israeli defence industry.’