Prominent Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour says Israeli authorities have barred her from travelling to Palestine with her family, citing her advocacy for Palestinian rights and support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Sarsour, one of the most prominent Muslim civil rights activists in the United States and an adviser to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, had planned to visit family in the occupied West Bank and participate in a series of local meetings and events.
In a post on Instagram, Sarsour confirmed that Israeli authorities had revoked her travel authorisation.
"It is true. I have been barred by the Apartheid Regime of Israel from visiting Palestine with my family, and the reason they cite is my advocacy for justice and freedom for the Palestinian people and my support for a nonviolent movement," she wrote, referring to the BDS campaign.
"Think about that for a second: My advocacy for the concept that all people are created equal and deserve freedom and human rights is so terrifying to a genocidal apartheid regime that they will bar the entry of a prominent Palestinian-American mom and grandmother from New York."
She added that the decision reflected the broader reality faced by Palestinians denied access to their homeland.
"Ultimately, this is not about me. I happen to have had the great fortune of visiting Palestine on many occasions, and my inability to go now puts me in the company of millions of my people who are also banned from our homeland – a pain we have to endure until Palestine is free."
Sarsour also shared an image showing that her ETA-IL travel authorisation, which had been granted on 25 May, had been revoked.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the move, accusing Israel of preventing Palestinians from visiting their families and homeland.
"We strongly condemn the Israeli apartheid government for banning Linda Sarsour from visiting her family, friends and homeland in occupied Palestine," CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said.
"This act of sheer racism that the Netanyahu regime has perpetrated against Linda is nothing new. Israel has spent years preventing Palestinians around the world, even Palestinian-Americans like Linda, from visiting their families and their lands."
CAIR added that Israel had previously barred members of the US Congress and Jewish Americans critical of Israeli policies from entering the country, describing the decision as "unacceptable".
Sarsour rose to prominence through her advocacy on Muslim civil rights issues in the United States, campaigning against post-9/11 surveillance programmes, stop-and-frisk policing, mass incarceration and restrictive immigration policies.
The activist has also been heavily involved in women’s rights, having co-founded and led the . She has also helped organise Black Lives Matter protests.
Sarsour also came to prominence for advocacy for the Palestinian cause, criticising Israel’s occupation and actions in the Palestinian territories and endorsing the BDS movement, mobilising nationwide rallies.
She has also campaigned against the US’s military assistance to Israel through her organisation, MPower Change.
As part of her pro-Palestinian activism, Sarsour has worked with progressive Jewish groups critical of Israel, such as Jewish Voices for Peace.
The activist and organiser has staunchly condemned Israel's war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 72,000 Palestinians, calling Israel’s actions genocidal and urging an end to its "siege, forces starvation, and massacres" in the enclave.
In reaction to the Joe Biden administration’s lack of action on Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip, Sarsour helped organise Arab and Muslim American voices to demand concrete action on US arms embargos as well as accountability for Washington's role in exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Over the years, Sarsour has been subjected to harassment from pro-Israeli organisations and politicians, as well as Israeli politicians, and has strongly denied endorsing or having any connections to Hamas, after being accused of such.