British charities and Palestine advocacy organisations have condemned an Israeli government move recommending that employees and activists linked to several UK-based organisations be prevented from entering Israel.
The dispute follows Britain’s decision to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with the Israeli government warning London that its actions would have consequences.
The Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism issued a letter dated September 8 recommending that border authorities consider refusing entry to representatives and activists associated with a number of British charities and campaign organisations.
Among the organisations named are Oxfam, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Save the Children, Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Friends of Al-Aqsa. The document, reviewed by Al Jazeera, reportedly makes accusations against 11 organisations in total.
The Israeli ministry did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
Charities reject allegations
Friends of Al-Aqsa founder Ismail Patel said the proposed restrictions would not deter the organisation from continuing its activities in support of Palestinian rights.
Patel said the organisation openly supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and argued that the proposed restrictions demonstrated the impact of its campaign.
The Israeli letter reportedly accuses Patel of participating in anti-Israel demonstrations in London and making critical statements about Israel during public appearances and interviews.
Other organisations named in the document face different allegations. The letter accuses some groups of supporting engagement with Hamas for humanitarian access, demanding an arms embargo against Israel or having links to organisations Israel considers terrorist groups. Save the Children is also accused of describing Israel’s actions in Gaza as deliberate starvation and genocide.
The organisations have rejected the characterisation of their humanitarian and advocacy work.
Save the Children said its staff, like those of other international non-governmental organisations, were already facing difficulties obtaining visas needed to cross Israeli-controlled borders into Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Medical Aid for Palestinians said the latest letter was part of what it described as wider restrictions affecting international charities working in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The organisation also noted that two of its employees mentioned in the Israeli document had previously received humanitarian medals from King Charles.
Move follows UK settlement restrictions
The Israeli action came on the same day Britain announced restrictions on imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The UK government said on September 8 that it would ban imports of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements and introduce additional powers targeting settlement activity. London said its measures were based on its assessment that Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful under international law.
Israel subsequently announced several measures affecting British officials.
It barred 11 British MPs and a lawyer from entering the country, ordered the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem and ended British training of Palestinian Authority security forces in the occupied West Bank, according to Al Jazeera.
The Israeli government has described Britain’s measures as hostile actions against Israel.
The latest recommendations targeting British charities therefore represent a further escalation in the diplomatic dispute between London and Tel Aviv.
Palestine Action also targeted
The Israeli document also refers to Palestine Action, a UK group that has carried out direct-action campaigns against Israeli defence manufacturer Elbit Systems.
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government earlier this year, meaning membership and support for the group are criminal offences under British law.
The Israeli ministry’s letter reportedly characterises the organisation as a network engaged in actions intended to damage Israel’s defence industry.
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori rejected the Israeli characterisation, arguing that the group’s inclusion in the document demonstrated that its activities were focused on opposition to Israel’s defence industry.
The controversy comes amid continuing disagreement in Britain over the government’s treatment of Palestine Action and the wider question of protest and civil liberties.
Dispute widens over aid organisations
The disagreement has also extended to other humanitarian organisations.
UK Lawyers for Israel has reportedly called on the British government to consider proscribing Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, as a terrorist organisation over alleged links involving some of its employees.
Doctors Without Borders has rejected the allegations and said it has been subjected to a prolonged disinformation campaign. The organisation has said that Israeli authorities did not provide evidence of military involvement by staff members accused of having links to armed groups before those individuals were killed.
The latest dispute highlights the increasingly difficult environment facing international aid organisations working in and around Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.
For the British charities and campaign groups targeted by the Israeli recommendation, the issue is not simply whether individual activists will be permitted to enter Israel. Restrictions on staff movement can also affect the ability of organisations to operate humanitarian programmes in areas where Israel controls access.
Israel, meanwhile, has argued that organisations supporting boycotts or maintaining alleged links to groups it considers hostile should not receive unrestricted access to the country.
The proposed entry restrictions have yet to establish a formal blanket ban on the named organisations. They are recommendations concerning individuals associated with the groups, leaving their implementation to Israel’s relevant border and immigration authorities.
The dispute nevertheless adds another layer to the growing diplomatic tensions between Britain and Israel over settlement policy, Gaza and the UK’s broader approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
