Decreased Tolerance for Leftist Activists in Israel

Zippi Livni, the leader of the Israeli opposition, called for an investigation into why leftist activists face difficulties entering Israel and have been interrogated by the internal security agency at the country's airport. On Monday, August 22, she wrote a letter to Avi Dichter, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Knesset, requesting an emergency meeting of the subcommittee on intelligence and confidential affairs to address this issue. According to Haaretz, Livni questioned why a foreign Jewish journalist traveling to Israel for a private family celebration was interrogated at the airport simply because he is a known figure on the left. Israeli media reports that several left-wing Knesset members also requested a meeting with Nadav Argaman, the head of the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service. These Knesset members claimed that the interrogation of these individuals aims to 'intimidate them' from pursuing their activities in human rights organizations and that 'the internal security agency has become the executive arm and tool of a right-wing government in pursuing leftist activists.' This debate intensified in Israel when Peter Beinart, an American Jewish journalist, arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday with his family to attend a family celebration but was separated from the others for interrogation. Beinart recounted his interrogation in an article titled 'I Was Detained at the Airport for My Beliefs,' published in the American Jewish newspaper Forward; he wrote that he was questioned for an hour in an airport room by someone whose identity he did not know regarding his political views and activities. He described the conversation as 'depressing' but felt no fear because he knew that as a prominent journalist, he could use his connections to apply pressure if the situation became complicated. According to this journalist, the interrogation was related to Israel's new law regarding the 'Jewish Nation-State' and the government's efforts against the 'Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael' foundation, which is linked to leftist activities. Israel has been monitoring the activities of this foundation in recent months. The Beinart incident prompted a clear accountability response from the country's internal security agency; Shin Bet stated in a release that the interrogation of Peter Beinart at the airport was 'a mistake in judgment' by the on-site officer. The Shin Bet statement, which Ynet called 'unprecedented,' explained that the agency operates within legal frameworks and 'in the interest of national security.' Shin Bet apologized for the discomfort the American journalist felt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also emphasized that 'an administrative error' led to the interrogation of this journalist at the airport; he added, 'Israel is an open society that welcomes everyone, both critics and supporters; it is the only country in the Middle East where individuals can freely express their views.' However, Peter Beinart tweeted that he would accept Netanyahu's 'half-hearted apology' only if he 'apologizes to all Palestinians and Palestinian-Americans who face worsening situations every day.' Michael Oren, a minister and former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., stressed that 'every country has the right to defend itself against threats and groups like BDS that seek to isolate, boycott, and sanction Israel and even destroy it, but the treatment of Peter Beinart was unwise and has strategically damaged Israel's reputation.' Additionally, according to Ynet, Ami Ayalon, a former Shin Bet chief, stated on Tuesday that the internal security agency 'has no authority' to act against open critics of the government; he welcomed the 'discussion of freedom that has arisen' and noted that before the American journalist's incident, six other cases had occurred in the past month. In recent years, Israel has openly expelled some foreigners, including supporters or passengers of ships heading to Gaza, mostly on the grounds that they were leftist extremists, although some former officials from Western countries were among them. However, Haaretz reported that three months ago, Tanya Rubinstein, an Israeli citizen and leftist activist, was interrogated at the airport after returning from a conference in Sweden; two months ago, Yehudit Ilani, a journalist who covered the readiness of activists supporting Palestinians to go to Gaza by ship, was interrogated because she had a Palestinian informational pamphlet in her suitcase; last month, Mory El Zahar Rutman and last week two American Jews, Avigail Kirshenbaum and Simon Zimmerman, were interrogated, including being asked their opinions about Netanyahu.