Shashi banned from Israel for 10 years

PAULA SLIER

Speaking from Jordan, Naidoo said she had been interrogated at the border and her passport was stamped, preventing her from returning for a decade. She was flying home that evening.

Naidoo said she was hurt and frustrated, and re-iterated that her intentions had not been to hurt Israel but to come with an open mind. “I’m not anti-Israel and I’m not anti-Jewish,” she said.

Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs, Gilad Erdan, acknowledged that after assessing that Naidoo’s visit would be used to delegitimise Israel, officials denied her entry as part of Israel’s policy in fighting BDS.

Her visit was proposed and supported by BDS-SA, which held a press conference for Naidoo to publicly apologise for her social media support for Israel.

Naidoo hit the headlines when she posted her support for Israel on Instagram. She criticised Hamas and its rule of the Gaza Strip, saying there was more than one side in the conflict and that the country was the opposite of apartheid.

The postings sparked an outcry from the anti-Israel lobby. Naidoo then recanted her statements and issued a tearful apology on social media after receiving death and rape threats. At the press conference, Naidoo said she would visit the region with BDS to “re-educate myself about the situation”.

Last week, the SA Jewish Report told of how Israel’s deputy ambassador had met with Naidoo, telling her not to go to Israel as she would be turned away.

In a press statement, Erdan said that because of her pro-Israeli statements, Naidoo received a harsh backlash and was now trying to recover from damage caused by BDS organisations.

But he pointed out that her planned tour and its “re-education” aspect was seen by the ministry as a cynical form of “compensation” for BDS-SA through which it would then utilise Naidoo’s public profile for its own ends.

“It is sad that in today’s South Africa, expressing support for Israel in its struggle against terrorism leads to death threats against those who expressed their support,” Erdan said.

“This is the same intimidation and coercion which we saw used against the Argentinian national football team, when BDS organisations threatened the players and their families who planned to visit Israel. In these unfortunate circumstances, we cannot allow her to enter the country.

“I personally invite Ms Naidoo to visit Israel on her own accord and experience the reality on the ground. She will soon discover that what she tweeted was true and accurate.”

BDS-SA said refusing entry to Naidoo was a clear indication that Israel did not allow freedom of movement, expression and association. “This behaviour by Israel infringes on our diplomatic relations and is a further indication of the need for South Africa to implement the ANC’s resolution for the immediate and unconditional downgrade of the South African Embassy in Israel. There can be no doubt that Israel is a hostile state to South Africa.”