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<div class="header reader-header reader-show-element"> <font
size="-2"><a class="domain reader-domain"
href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190415-us-travel-ban-on-bds-founder-mccarthyite-repression-says-barghouti/">https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190415-us-travel-ban-on-bds-founder-mccarthyite-repression-says-barghouti/</a></font>
<h1 class="reader-title">US travel ban on BDS founder
‘McCarthyite’ repression says Barghouti</h1>
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<div class="reader-estimated-time">April 15, 2019</div>
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<p>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. <a
href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190412-us-bars-entry-to-palestinian-co-founder-of-bds-movement/">The
decision to deny him entry</a> has been denounced as
an attack on freedom of expression.</p>
<p>“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 <a
href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170316-timeline-international-attempts-to-boycott-bds/">BDS
movement</a> for freedom, justice and equality,”
Barghouti said in a statement to <i>Al Jazeera</i>.</p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p><strong>READ: <a title="US bars entry to Palestinian
co-founder of BDS movement"
href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190412-us-bars-entry-to-palestinian-co-founder-of-bds-movement/">US
bars entry to Palestinian co-founder of BDS movement</a></strong></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 <i>RT</i>.
“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.”</p>
<p>According to the <i>Guardian</i> 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.</p>
<p>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 <a
href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190207-us-senate-supports-bill-that-bans-bds-withdrawal-from-syria/">the
Senate passed</a> a motion to sanctions US companies
which support the boycott of Israel despite concerns
that it was “<a
href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190130-unconstitutional-anti-bds-bill-gets-us-senate-backing-despite-strong-opposition/">unconstitutional</a>”.</p>
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