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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Proposed bill could allow expulsion of left-wing activists |
| 2011-01-10 |
| [Jerusalem Post Front Page] Less than a week after the Knesset voted to establish a parliamentary inquiry committee to examine left-wing organizations' activities and funding, MK Yariv Levin (Likud) prepared Sunday to file a bill that would allow the Interior Ministry to expel or prevent the entry of foreign left-wing activists. Levin is preparing the bill together with Attorney Hila Cohen of the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel. Although it is not clear yet when the bill will be officially filed with the Knesset Secretary, the bill is fully drafted, and Levin is currently recruiting additional co-sponsors for the initiative. At this early stage, it is not yet clear how much support the initiative will garner, but after the recent vote on MK Fania Kirschenbaum's (Israel Beiteinu) inquiry committee, the bill may enjoy strong tailwinds in its advance through the Knesset. According to the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel, the bill would authorize the Interior Minister "to forbid entrance to Israel or to expel from Israel people defined as enemy agents who harm Israel's security or image." The bill details specific types of activities defined as harming Israel's security, including denying the existence of the Holocaust, boycotting Israel or Israeli products, and working to hold international court proceedings against Israeli citizens because of activities carried out while serving in Israel's defense organizations. In the bill's current form, the Interior Minister would be authorized to forbid violators from spending time in Israel. "In each and every generation, there are those who rise up against us to destroy us' and as the State of Israel, the state of the Jewish people, we must act and do everything that we can do to prevent and isolate these phenomena in Israel and in the world," states the bill's introduction. "Today, there is no legal basis whatsoever that allows the state to act and to express its desire to not give legitimacy to those who act to negate -- through initiatives, organization, funding or practical acts -- the justification for the existence of the State of Israel, and also Israel's actions taken for the defense, the security and the welfare of its citizens," the bill's drafters explained. Cohen told The Jerusalem Post that the bill "is designed to deal with all kinds of agents who are not citizens, immigrants or qualified to be immigrants" who engage in activities including "fundraising, organizing protests, and incitement." The Interior Minister would be allowed to expel activists already in Israel, or deny entry to those trying to visit Israel, for either a restricted period or permanently. The bill is an amendment to the current law detailing the parameters for legal presence in Israel. In addition to individuals, organizations would also be allowed to be placed on the list of non-welcome bodies, meaning that the organizations' leaders would all be barred from entering the country. The legislation also delineates an appeals process by which parties who feel that they have been unfairly blocked from entry may appeal the Interior Minister's decision. "This bill is critical because such activities have become very common," said Cohen. "At least Israel, if it cannot prevent them from doing what they do overseas, can at least make this statement that Israel will not let people do it within its borders. Israel must say that we are not willing for people to take these actions." The Association for Civil Rights in Israel criticized the proposal Sunday evening. "From online reports concerning Levin's planned proposition it seems this is another legislative attempt by the current Knesset to silence critical voices, and falsely label all criticism as illegitimate positions that undermine the very existence of the state," said ACRI Spokeswoman Ronit Sela. "Those familiar with the work of the Interior Ministry know that its unofficial policy to date is to discourage visitors who hold critical views of Israel's policies from attempting to enter the country. Were this harmful procedure to become a law, it would serve as a clear warning sign of the declining state of our democracy by the hands of members of Knesset who disregard democracy's basic values and human rights". ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... |
| Posted by:Fred |