Germany Journalist Denied Work Visa for Calling for Sanctions on Israel
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Israel denied a work visa to German journalist Serena Bilanceri on Sunday after the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs recommended the action due to her calls for sanctions against the country. Bilanceri, who reports for the German newspaper "taz," has written opinion pieces advocating for economic and military sanctions on Israel. The Ministry stated that individuals who slander Israel will not be allowed entry.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- German journalist Serena Bilanceri was denied a work visa for Israel due to her calls for sanctions.
- The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs recommended the visa denial based on Bilanceri's writings.
- Bilanceri has written opinion pieces calling for economic and military sanctions on Israel.
- The decision was made under Section 40 of the Entry into Israel Law.
- The Ministry stated it will not tolerate calls for boycotts against Israel.
Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and the Fight Against Antisemitism recommended that the Population and Immigration Authority deny a work visa to German journalist Serena Bilanceri, who has publicly called for sanctions against the Jewish state. Consequently, her application for a work permit in Israel was rejected on Sunday. The decision was made under Section 40 of the Entry into Israel Law, following a recommendation from the Ministry's Director General, Avi Cohen Scali.
Bilanceri, a 43-year-old German national of Italian descent reporting from Jordan, Syria, and Israel for the German newspaper "die tageszeitung" (taz), has been accused of promoting anti-Israel messages, including labeling the country an "apartheid state." The ministry cited at least two instances where she explicitly advocated for economic and military sanctions against Israel in her articles, which they argue fall under the legal criteria for denying entry.
In a November 17, 2025, opinion piece titled "Sanctions Against Israel," Bilanceri adopted Amnesty International's definition of Israel as an apartheid state and urged the U.S., Germany, and Europe to impose economic and military sanctions. She also wrote in a September 1, 2025, article that the European Union should act together and impose sanctions on Israel, escalating them if initial measures proved ineffective.
Following the visa rejection, Avi Cohen Scali stated, "Anti-Israel elements and those who slander Israel should not set foot here. We will not tolerate calls for a boycott of Israel under the guise of professional journalism."
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