HAARETZ

Israel’s crackdown on foreign journalists, and the Netanyahu coalition’s baseless election fraud claims

Israel refuses to explain why it barred Italian journalist from entering country

Continuing its crackdown against foreign journalists whose coverage it perceives as harmful to its image, Israel canceled the electronic travel authorization of Italian journalist Martina Stefanoni, who had planned to travel to the country next week to cover the upcoming election.

Stefanoni said on Tuesday she received no explanation for the decision beyond a message stating, «The circumstances of your case have changed.» Stefanoni said that Radio Popolare, the left-leaning station where she works, had contacted the Israeli Embassy in Rome but was told the decision was not connected to the Foreign Ministry.

Earlier this week, after a British journalist was detained at Ben-Gurion and a German correspondent had her visa application rejected, the Foreign Press Association in Israel said it was aware of other cases in which reporters had been turned back at the border or had their entry permits canceled.

Responding to Haaretz, the Population and Immigration Authority said that Israel, like any other country, has the right to determine who may enter its territory, adding that «the decision to cancel the ETA is based on information concerning her, and we will not add beyond that.»

Last year, Stefanoni published a book titled «Unspeakable: The Silence of Multinational Corporations in the Face of Genocide in Gaza.» She told Haaretz that she had visited Israel since the book’s publication without encountering problems.