ByMATHILDA HELLER

On the recommendation of the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry, 40 activists from the organization Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor were banned from entering Israel. Among the activists whose entry will not be approved are the organization’s founder and chairman, Ramy Abdu; the chairman of its board of trustees; a migration and asylum researcher; and the manager of the organization’s Lebanon branch.

The Diaspora Affairs Ministry recently revealed that Abdu is a Hamas operative and has therefore recommended that 40 activists be blacklisted from entering Israel.

In this context, the ministry’s Director-General, Avi Cohen-Scali, recommended that visas not be granted to the organization’s activists for entry into Israel, pursuant to Amendment No. 40 to Israel’s Entry Law and following coordination with the Population and Immigration Authority.

“After exposing the true nature of the EuroMed organization, which uses the guise of ‘human rights’ to advance terrorist activity, I instructed my ministry’s Director-General, Avi Cohen-Scali, to prevent 40 of the organization’s activists from entering Israel,” said Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli.

“The days when humanitarian cover could be exploited to promote terrorism are over. We will continue to expose, thwart, and act against any entity operating against the State of Israel, regardless of the name behind which it chooses to hide.”

Headquarters of the New York Times in Manhattan, which has thus far only been the site of anti-Israel demonstrations. Where is the New York Jewish community?
Headquarters of the New York Times in Manhattan, which has thus far only been the site of anti-Israel demonstrations. Where is the New York Jewish community? (credit: COURTESY OF GENESIS PRIZE)

Ministry launches website targeting Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor

In addition, the Diaspora Affairs Ministry established a dedicated website exposing what it describes as the truth behind Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

The EuroMed organization recently gained attention due to a report published by the ministry, and since Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof relied on the organization’s data in a New York Times article titled “The Silence Around Sexual Violence Against Palestinians.”

According to the ministry’s report, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor promotes anti-Israel activity, delegitimization campaigns, and boycotts, including at the International Court of Justice. The organization is registered in Switzerland and operates out of Geneva, presenting itself as a regional human rights body focused on the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.

However, according to the ministry, its actual activities focus primarily on harming Israel and its interests.

The report claims that EuroMed systematically works to shape an anti-Israel narrative across international institutions, media, academia, and open knowledge platforms such as Wikipedia.