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US Denies Entry to BDS Co-Founder Omar Barghouti

US Denies Entry to BDS Co-Founder Omar Barghouti
folder_openUnited States access_time4 years ago
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By Staff, Agencies

Omar Barghouti, -- a co-founder of the international movement calling for boycott, divestment, and sanctions [BDS] to the ‘Israeli’ entity -- was unable to board a flight to the United States on Thursday after being told he was being denied entry based on a claimed "immigration matter."

Barghouti was travelling from the ‘Israeli’-occupied Palestinian territories, where he lives as a permanent resident with his wife.

Airline staff at ‘Israeli’ Ben Gurion Airport told Barghouti that US government officials had instructed their consulate in Tel Aviv to stop him from boarding the flight based on an "immigration matter," according to a statement from the head of the Washington-based Arab American Institute [AII], which had invited Barghouti to a number of events during his planned visit.

“Omar Barghouti is a leading Palestinian voice on human rights," AII President James Zogby said. "Omar’s denial of entry into the US is the latest example of the Trump Administration’s disregard for those rights. Having spent considerable time here as a student and while on speaking tours, Omar visiting America was never an issue before. It is clear this arbitrary political decision is motivated by this administration’s effort to silence Palestinian voices."

The statement went on to say Barghouti's travel is regularly restricted by ‘Israel’, but not by the US.

He was scheduled to speak in several US cities, including at a bookstore in Philadelphia owned by Marc Lemont Hill, a contributor who was fired from CNN for calling for a "free Palestine from the river to the sea," during a speech at the United Nations.

In February, the US Senate passed a law that included a measure making it illegal for state contractors to participate in the BDS movement. While several states already had similar laws in place, this marked the first anti-BDS legislation on a national level.

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