Israel Apologizes for Airport Questioning of New Israel Fund Leader
(JTA) — The agency that manages Israel’s border crossings apologized for any “anguish” caused by the questioning of the leader of the New Israel Fund at Ben-Gurion Airport.
The Population and Immigration Authority said Thursday that its interim director general, Amnon Shmueli, had spoken to the New Israel Fund’s president after the group’s vice president, Jennifer Gorovitz, was detained for questioning upon arrival in Israel on Wednesday, Haaretz reported.
“Shmueli made it clear that the questioning of Gorovitz was routine and that there was no intent to insult her. The director general apologized if she was caused any anguish,” the authority said.
Gorovitz was reportedly held for 90 minutes after arriving in Israel on Wednesday, prompting an opposition lawmaker to declare that she was being subjected to “political persecution.” NIF is an American-based nonprofit organization dedicated to social justice and equality that funds a number of organizations that have been highly critical of Israel.
The questioning of Gorovitz prompted Knesset member Tamar Zandberg, from the left-wing Meretz party, to complain to Interior Minister Aryeh Deri.
“This is political persecution, harassment and an attempt to silence those who fight for Israeli society,” Zandberg wrote in a letter to Deri.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
