Israel to ban BDS supporters from entering Israel

A bill preventing supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement from entering Israel was approved for a first reading on Monday in the Israeli parliament, according to Israeli media.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the interior committee of the parliament approved the bill, paving the way for the bill to enter its first reading.

The bill would allow individuals supporting a boycott against Israel to be banned from entering Israel.

The BDS movement was founded in July 2005 by a swath of Palestinian civil society as a peaceful movement to restore Palestinian rights in accordance with international law through strategies of boycotting Israeli products and cultural institutions, divesting from companies complicit in violations against Palestinians, and implementing state sanctions against the Israeli government.

The move came after several months of Israeli efforts to crack down on the BDS Movement.