Lydia de Leeuw had persistently taken part in activities against the State of Israel.
By JULIANE HELMHOLDUpdated: JULY 22, 2018 00:45An El Al plane in Ben Gurion Airport(photo credit: REUTERS)
A Dutch activist was refused entry into Israel Friday afternoon at Ben-Gurion Airport.Lydia de Leeuw has persistently taken part in activities and demonstrations against the State of Israel in the Netherlands, where she has promoted the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel.The Population and Immigration Authority at Ben-Gurion Airport refused her entry under the instruction of Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan.“The policy I have set is clear: Anyone who acts consistently to boycott us will not enter the country,” Erdan said. “The rules have changed and the State of Israel will not hold back anymore against those who try to harm us.”Interior Minister Arye Deri said Erdan was using his authority by preventing the entry of any person who tried to harm the State of Israel.“The same will be true for any boycott activists in the future who want to enter Israel,” he added.A little over two weeks ago, in a similar case, Jewish BDS activist Ariel Elyse Gold was refused entry into Israel and send back home.Gold also was a known member of the BDS movement and specifically active in the Code Pink group, a far-left NGO.She later revealed in an interview with i24 News that she might immigrate to Israel in order to bypass the travel ban. “That might be my next step. It’s a possibility,” she told the interviewer.If Gold immigrates to Israel and becomes an Israeli citizen, it is possible the ban on BDS activists would no longer apply to her. She would have to first apply for citizenship and her application would be evaluated by the Jewish Agency and the Immigration and Absorption Ministry.
