Israel Bars Two Swedish MEPs From Entering Israel

Overview

• Israeli authorities denied entry to Jonas Sjöstedt and Hanna Gedin, both members of Sweden’s Left Party, after they tried to enter the country as part of a planned visit.
• Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar asked the Population and Immigration Authority to apply the Entry into Israel Law, citing a years-long record of what officials called hostile activity by the two MEPs.
• The ministry said the lawmakers have publicly called for international judicial proceedings and made allegations against Israel that officials called false and inflammatory.
• Sjöstedt and Gedin were scheduled to travel on to the Palestinian Authority and to meet humanitarian groups, a plan that the entry ban prevented from moving forward.
• The decision turns domestic immigration rules into a tool of foreign policy and raises questions about EU–Israel parliamentary relations and how legislator visits will be handled going forward.