An Israeli Supreme Court judge said those describing Israel as an apartheid state should be barred from entering the country.
Key Developments
- Justice Alex Stein made the remarks during hearings involving international NGOs.
- The court backed Israel’s authority to consider “delegitimization” in permit decisions.
- NGOs challenged restrictions preventing them from operating in Gaza and the West Bank.
- The ruling contrasts with findings by international legal and human rights bodies.
Israeli Supreme Court Justice Alex Stein said anyone who describes Israel as an apartheid state should not be allowed to enter the country, arguing that such language goes beyond legitimate criticism and seeks to delegitimize the state.
Stein made the remarks during a hearing on petitions filed by several international humanitarian organizations after Israeli authorities refused to renew permits allowing them to operate in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The three-judge panel—comprising Justices Yael Vilner, Ruth Ronen and Alex Stein—held that Israeli authorities are entitled to consider what they describe as efforts to “delegitimize” the state when deciding whether organizations may operate in the occupied Palestinian territories, and recommended that the petitioners withdraw their cases.
Stein argued that referring to Israel as an apartheid state is not protected speech or legitimate criticism but forms part of an effort to undermine Israel’s existence.
Among the organizations challenging the restrictions are Save the Children, the Italian humanitarian organization CESVI, and the Swedish NGO Diakonia.
Israeli authorities justified the permit denials by citing statements allegedly made by the organizations and alleging links involving Islamic Relief, which Israel designated a prohibited organization in 2014.
The restrictions are based on a government decision adopted two years ago barring organizations accused of contributing to Israel’s “delegitimization” from operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In a separate ruling issued the same day, the court ordered the removal of a medical affidavit submitted in support of a petition seeking access to medical treatment for patients from Gaza.
The affidavit, prepared by obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Ambreen Salimi following work at Nasser Hospital, described severe malnutrition among pregnant women, shortages of medicines and medical equipment, children denied available treatments, and women wounded by Israeli gunfire.
The court ordered the testimony removed from the case, saying it contained “false and offensive allegations.”
Stein’s remarks stand in contrast to findings by several international legal and human rights bodies, including the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion and reports published by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which concluded that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians amounts to apartheid.
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Like everyone is “dying” to see Israel—
The Israelis are so scummy, they make the German Nazis look like altar boys.
To hell with Israel.
Wasrael 2026!
I’m not planning on visiting the apartheid, genocidal state so I can call it what it is. Save the Children banned? What scum those judges and the entire state is.