Israel Revokes Spanish Journalist's Entry Permit Hours Before Flight
Translated & summarized from Behadrei Haredim by baba
Israel's Population and Immigration Authority canceled the electronic entry visa for Spanish journalist Francesca Cicardi hours before her flight, preventing her from covering upcoming elections. The news website El Diario, for which she works, stated she had a valid press card and had visited Israel previously without issue, receiving no official reason for the cancellation. This is the fifth such denial for foreign journalists or researchers in two weeks, with the authority citing recommendations from "authorized bodies" without disclosing specifics. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs confirmed it had no recommendation in Cicardi's case.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israel canceled Spanish journalist Francesca Cicardi's entry visa hours before her flight.
- Cicardi was to cover upcoming elections for the Spanish news website El Diario.
- The Population and Immigration Authority cited recommendations from "authorized bodies" for the cancellation.
- This is the fifth denial of entry for foreign journalists or researchers in two weeks.
- El Diario reported no official explanation was given for the visa revocation.
Israel's Population and Immigration Authority unexpectedly canceled the electronic entry visa (ETA) for Spanish journalist Francesca Cicardi on Thursday, just hours before her scheduled flight to the country. Cicardi was slated to cover the upcoming elections for the news website El Diario, which is identified with the Spanish left.
El Diario stated that Cicardi holds a valid press card from the Government Press Office, authorizing her to work in Israel, and that she and her colleagues had visited the country since October 7 without encountering issues. The outlet, which has approximately ten million monthly readers, reported receiving no official explanation for the decision. The Israeli embassy in Madrid confirmed the visa cancellation but declined to provide a reason.
Sabine Haddad, spokesperson for the Population and Immigration Authority, told Haaretz that visa cancellations are made upon the recommendation of "authorized bodies" and must be "substantiated and based." She added that while the authority handles journalists with sensitivity, it cannot disclose the grounds for cancellation to the media, only to the individual whose visa was revoked via their country's Israeli embassy.
This incident marks the fifth case in the past two weeks where foreign journalists or researchers have been denied entry to Israel. Among those refused are Sylvain Mercadier, a correspondent for the French newspaper L'Humanité, and the journalist, a journalist for the Italian radio station Radio Popolare. Additionally, American researcher Sophia Goodfriend was denied entry due to concerns about illegal immigration.
Separately, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs announced last week its recommendation to ban German journalist Serena Bilančeri from the newspaper Taz, effectively preventing her appointment as a permanent correspondent in Israel. The ministry cited articles Bilančeri published over the past two years calling for sanctions over settler violence, which she described as part of a "radical expulsion strategy." The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs stated it had no recommendation regarding Cicardi's case. The Prime Minister's Office, Shin Bet, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not yet responded.
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