UK charities, protest groups condemn Israeli ban threat after sanctions

London, United Kingdom – British charities, Palestinian advocacy organisations and the proscribed Palestine Action group have condemned an official Israeli letter maligning their representatives and activists and recommending they be barred from entering Israel.

The document, seen by Al Jazeera, was issued by Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism. It recommends border authorities bar employees and activists associated with aid organisations including Oxfam, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Save the Children, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and the Norwegian Refugee Council, which receives UK funding, as well as campaign groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Friends of Al-Aqsa.

The letter, dated September 8, the day the UK banned imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, was previously reported by the BBC and Jerusalem Post.

Ismail Patel, founder of Friends of Al-Aqsa, which openly advocates for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, is accused in the letter of joining anti-Israel demonstrations in London and making “harsh statements against Israel” in public appearances and interviews.

“To hear Israel is planning to ban Friends of Al-Aqsa for our BDS campaign clearly shows BDS is working and impacting Israel,” Patel told Al Jazeera. “Israeli restrictions will not intimidate us.”

Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Israel follows through on threat of ‘consequences’

Israel had warned the UK against the new sanctions, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs raising the prospect of “consequences” for what it called “hostile moves”.

Shortly after the trade ban was announced, Israel, which controls access to Gaza and the occupied West Bank, barred 11 British MPs and a lawyer from entering and ordered the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem. It also announced the removal of British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center located in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel. And it has ended British training of Palestinian Authority forces in the occupied West Bank.

“In light of this [the trade ban], attention should be directed to the ongoing and subversive activities of various British organisations promoting boycotts, sanctions, and economic and political measures against the State of Israel,” the leaked letter reads.

It makes further accusations against 11 groups in total. The claims against them range from advocating for engagement with Hamas for humanitarian access; demanding an arms embargo against Israel; having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood or working with “terrorist” organisations.

Save the Children is accused of describing Israel’s actions as “deliberate starvation” and “genocide”.

A spokesperson told Al Jazeera that, alongside other NGOs, it is already unable to secure visas for staff needing to cross Israeli-controlled borders into Gaza or the West Bank, “at a time when needs have never been greater”.

Israel has intensified restrictions on international aid groups since the genocidal war in Gaza began, including measures affecting the entry of food, medicine, foreign volunteer doctors and humanitarian workers.

MAP said the letter forms part of Israeli authorities’ “wider restrictions on international charities operating in the occupied Palestinian territory”. It noted that two MAP individuals named in the letter had received the humanitarian medals awarded by King Charles.

The letter describes Palestine Action, which has carried out raids against Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems, as a “network of radical branches promoting direct action intended to damage the Israeli defence industry”.

“This letter is further proof that we were not banned because of anything to do with ‘terrorism’,” Palestine Action cofounder Huda Ammori told Al Jazeera. “As the letter admits, our activity was always focused on damaging the Israeli defence industry.”

In a related development, UK Lawyers for Israel has called on the government to consider proscribing Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, as a terrorist organisation, The Telegraph reported. The lobby group alleged, in line with Israeli accusations, that MSF had employed people with links to Palestinian armed groups.

MSF said it had been the target of a “disinformation campaign” for months. It said staff accused by Israel of having “ties to terrorism” were only reported to the organisation after they had been killed, and that Israeli authorities had not shared evidence of military involvement before their deaths.