Israel Recommends Banning Entry for Pro-Palestinian Activist Kshama Sawant

Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism has recommended that the Population and Immigration Authority deny future entry to American activist Kshama Sawant. The recommendation stems from an amendment to Israel's Entry into Israel Law and follows an agreement between ministries regarding such recommendations.

Ministry officials learned that Sawant intends to visit Israel in the coming weeks. The recommendation to block her entry is partly due to her stated intention to visit the West Bank, with the assistance of the Brussels-based de-legitimization organization IFRD (International Federation for Rights and Development). This visit is reportedly part of a campaign preceding the 2026 olive harvest organized by Faz3a.

Sawant, a socialist politician and activist, served a decade on the Seattle City Council from 2014 to 2024. In recent years, she has advocated for an arms embargo on Israel, an end to U.S. military aid, and has accused Israel of genocide. She recently posted on X, "I will be visiting the Israeli-occupied West Bank later this month... I will be talking to Palestinians and Palestinian Americans about the holocaust being carried out by the Israeli state and the brutality of decades of occupation. Our goal will be to further expose the atrocities happening on Palestinian land."

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli stated, "The State of Israel will not open its gates to those who consistently work to promote boycotts, embargoes, and de-legitimization against it. Those who seek to enter Israel as part of organized activity by bodies working against it should know that their actions may have consequences." He instructed ministry professionals to examine the case and provide the recommendation to the Population and Immigration Authority according to the law.