Israel Denies Entry to German Journalist Advocating Sanctions
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
Israel has denied entry to German journalist Serena Bilanceri, who advocated for economic and military sanctions against the country. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs recommended the Population and Immigration Authority reject her visa, which they did, preventing her from becoming the permanent correspondent for the German newspaper taz. Bilanceri has accused Israel of apartheid and called for international sanctions in her articles. The Ministry stated that calls for boycotts under the guise of journalism will not be tolerated.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israel denied entry to German journalist Serena Bilanceri for advocating sanctions.
- The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs recommended denying Bilanceri's visa application.
- Bilanceri's visa rejection prevents her from serving as the permanent correspondent for the German newspaper taz.
- Bilanceri has accused Israel of being an "apartheid state" in her writings.
- She called for economic and military sanctions against Israel in at least two articles.
- The Ministry stated it will not tolerate calls for boycotts against Israel disguised as journalism.
Israel has denied entry to German journalist Serena Bilanceri, who had called for economic and military sanctions against the country. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and the Fight Against Antisemitism recommended that the Population and Immigration Authority prevent Bilanceri's entry, a recommendation that was accepted. Consequently, Bilanceri's application for a work visa was rejected, thwarting her appointment as the permanent correspondent for the German newspaper taz in Israel.
Bilanceri, 43, an Italian-German reporter based in Jordan, has covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. According to the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, she has promoted anti-Israel messages, including accusing Israel of being an "apartheid state." Investigations revealed that she had publicly called in her articles for economic and military sanctions against Israel on at least two occasions, meeting the legal criteria for denial of entry.
Avi Cohen Scali, Director General of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, stated, "We will not tolerate calls for a boycott against Israel under the guise of professional journalism. Professional journalism should not take sides in the conflict it covers, and certainly should not use the country's platforms to promote agendas that harm it."
One of Bilanceri's articles, published on November 17, 2025, in taz, titled "Sanctions Against Israel," adopted Amnesty International's definition of Israel as an "apartheid state." She also described settler violence as part of a radical expulsion strategy and urged the United States, Germany, and Europe to impose economic and military sanctions on Israel.
In another article from September 1, 2025, Bilanceri called on the European Union to act against Germany's opposition to sanctions on Israel, particularly in light of the war in Gaza. She urged EU countries to escalate measures if initial steps were ineffective, stating that Europe needed to take a firm stance and implement existing proposals for sanctions.
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