Amendment No. 28 to the Entry Into Israel Law

Amendment No. 28 to the Entry Into Israel Law
Knesset
Enacted by	Knesset
Enacted	6 March 2017
Introduced by	Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home) Roy Folkman (Kulanu)
Summary
Prohibiting entry, visa and residency permits to any foreigner who “knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel that, given the content of the call and the circumstances in which it was issued, has a reasonable possibility of leading to the imposition of a boycott – if the issuer was aware of this possibility.”

The Amendment No. 28 to the Entry Into Israel Law (No. 5712-1952) prohibits the entry into Israel of any foreigner who makes a "public call for boycotting Israel" or "any area under its control" – a reference to the Israeli settlements.^[1] It denies entry, visa and residency permits to these affected foreigners.

The law was a response to the BDS movement which calls for comprehensive boycotts of Israel until it complies with international law.^[2] Detractors compared the law to U.S. President Trump's recently passed "Muslim travel ban" and claimed that it violated the right to freedom of speech.^[2] It has also been criticized for failing to distinguish between those who call for a boycott of Israel and those who call for a boycott of the Israeli settlements.^[3] Supporters of the law defended it as within Israel's rights to control its borders and as a legitimate counter-measure against its opponents.^[4]

The law was passed by the Knesset on March 6, 2017 by a 46-28 vote.