Israel prohibited three Jewish activists, including a Rabbi, from travelling to Israel over their support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, according to the Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP).
JVP released a statement Sunday saying Rabbi Alisa Wise, deputy director for JVP, and two other activists among the five members of an interfaith delegation were prevented by Dulles International Airport officials from boarding a plane en route to Israel. Officials said the Israeli government informed them about the names who were not allowed to travel to the country.
The three activist have ben vocal about the BDS campaign and have many times criticized Israeli policies against Palestinians.
The BDS calls for economic, cultural and academic institutions it believes are linked to violence against Palestinians, to pressure Israel into withdrawing from the occupied West Bank, recognize the rights of Arab citizens of Israel and allow the return of Palestinians displaced after Israel’s establishment in 1948.
Israel is not taking the BDS movement lightly, with officials calling it a “strategic threat” and budgeting 118 million shekels ($31 million) to fight it this year.