[News] US travel ban on Palestine BDS founder ‘McCarthyite’ repression says Barghouti

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190415-us-travel-ban-on-bds-founder-mccarthyite-repression-says-barghouti/ 



  US travel ban on BDS founder ‘McCarthyite’ repression says Barghouti

April 15, 2019
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Jewish and Arab groups have joined Omar Barghouti in condemning last 
week’s decision by the Trump administration to ban the prominent 
Palestinian activist from entering the US. The co-founder of the 
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was scheduled to visit 
America to speak at universities and meet with pro-democracy groups. The 
decision to deny him entry 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190412-us-bars-entry-to-palestinian-co-founder-of-bds-movement/> 
has been denounced as an attack on freedom of expression.

“This US entry ban against me, which is ideologically and politically 
motivated, is part of Israel’s escalating repression against 
Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights defenders in the BDS 
movement 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170316-timeline-international-attempts-to-boycott-bds/> 
for freedom, justice and equality,” Barghouti said in a statement to /Al 
Jazeera/.

“Israel’s far-right regime is not merely continuing its decades-old 
system of military occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing; it is 
increasingly outsourcing its outrageous, McCarthyite repression to the 
US and to xenophobic, far-right cohorts across the world,” he added. He 
went on to say that “the most precious thing that this ban deprives me 
of, and that I cannot compensate, is being at my daughter’s wedding. I 
am hurt, but I am not deterred.”

*READ: US bars entry to Palestinian co-founder of BDS movement 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190412-us-bars-entry-to-palestinian-co-founder-of-bds-movement/>*

Barghouti, who is said to hold valid travel documents and a US visa 
valid until 2021, made the remarks in response to last week’s decision 
by the Trump administration to deny him entry. During his trip, which 
was organised by the Arab American Institute (AAI), the Palestinian 
activist was scheduled to speak in Washington, New York University’s DC 
campus, Harvard University and meet with policymakers and journalists. 
He was also expecting to attend the wedding of his daughter who lives in 
the US.

Barghouti said that the US was adopting McCarthyite policies to please 
Israel. “We see this as Israel outsourcing its McCarthyite 
anti-democratic repression against the BDS movement for human rights in 
Palestine to the United States,” he was quoted saying by /RT/. “The US 
administration has been mobilized now to do Israel’s bidding in trying 
to silence Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights 
defenders, who are active in this extremely effective and very important 
non-violent BDS movement.”

According to the /Guardian/ a joint petition by AAI and the Jewish 
American campaign group, Jewish Voice for Peace is demanding the 
reinstatement of Barghouti’s ability to travel to the US.

The US decision to ban Barghouti from the country follows a string of 
anti-BDS moves across the country. At least 27 states in the US have 
introduced laws to combat BDS activism. In February the Senate passed 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190207-us-senate-supports-bill-that-bans-bds-withdrawal-from-syria/> 
a motion to sanctions US companies which support the boycott of Israel 
despite concerns that it was “unconstitutional 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190130-unconstitutional-anti-bds-bill-gets-us-senate-backing-despite-strong-opposition/>”.

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