Israel moves to bar UK group Amos Trust's activists over its boycott campaign

Israel's Diaspora Affairs Ministry has recommended that the Population and Immigration Authority deny entry to activists representing Amos Trust, a UK-based organization the ministry says systematically promotes boycotts of Israel, The Jerusalem Post reports.

The recommendation, made by ministry Director-General Avi Cohen-Skali at the instruction of Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, follows a ministry investigation that found the group pushes economic, cultural and academic boycotts, backs sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, and runs advocacy and social media campaigns recruiting activists into pressure campaigns.

Amos Trust, founded in 1985, runs "Free Marwan Barghouti" and "Stop Arming Israel" campaigns and works with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the BDS movement. One of its partners, the Gaza writing project "We Are Not Numbers," was launched by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, whose founder Israel's Diaspora Ministry has identified as a Hamas operative. He disputes the allegation.

"Those who work to boycott Israel, isolate it and undermine its legitimacy cannot expect its doors to remain open to them," Chikli said. "The State of Israel will not serve as a host country for activists systematically working against it."