Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli confirmed on Monday that right-wing YouTube provocateur Tyler Oliveira had been barred from entering Israel, accusing him of coming to the country with the “aim of spreading hatred.”
Amid reports that Oliveira had been rebuffed at Ben Gurion Airport, Chikli resurfaced a weeks-old post from the YouTuber asking, “You guys think Israel will let me into the country?” and replied with a blunt one-word answer: “No.”
Oliveira has faced allegations of antisemitism in recent months over videos in which he claimed to expose widespread fraud in Kiryas Joel, a Hasidic enclave in upstate New York, and Lakewood, a heavily Orthodox town in New Jersey.
The videos, which each garnered more than 9 million views, drew backlash from Jewish leaders who accused Oliveira of trafficking in antisemitic stereotypes and mischaracterizing Jewish communities as hotbeds of corruption.
Israeli officials cite alleged antisemitic content
On Friday, Oliveira sat for an interview with conservative influencer Tucker Carlson, who himself claimed in February that he had been “detained” after arriving at an Israeli airport to conduct an interview with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Both Huckabee and Israel denied Carlson’s allegation.
In a statement to Israel National News, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said the decision to bar Oliveira stemmed from activity that “goes beyond legitimate freedom of expression” and included “inciting statements against Jews and the dissemination of content with antisemitic characteristics.”
The far-right Jewish activist Laura Loomer posted a series of tweets on Monday that she said included comments from Chikli. The Israeli minister reposted one of them, signaling his endorsement.
Chikli says Israel will block those spreading hatred
“I’m proud to have denied entry to Israel today to an unfortunate YouTuber who is using the harassment of Jews as a way to get clout on social media,” Loomer quoted Chikli as saying.
“If you come to Israel with the intent of inciting violence and hatred against Jewish people, you will not be allowed entry into our country,” he added.
Israel has previously barred other foreign activists and public figures from entering the country over their support for the boycott Israel movement, including European Union lawmakers Lynn Boylan and Rima Hassan last year, as well as US Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar in 2019.