On September 12, 2018, 23-year old Julie Shayna Weinberg-Connors returned to her home in Jerusalem after the Rosh Hashanah holiday, hours before she was to start learning in a year-long yeshiva program at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies. But to her shock and dismay, she was denied entry to Israel at Ben-Gurion airport and told by Ministry of Interior officials that the authorities “did not want her in Israel.”
The Ministry of Interior’s stated reason for Ms. Weinberg-Connors’ denial was “illegal immigration considerations,” but there was nothing illegal about her entry. She did not misrepresent herself or pretend to be a tourist with a disguised intent to illegally reside in Israel. Her intent was clear: she wanted to become an Israeli citizen and had already applied to the Ministry of Interior for citizenship under the Law of Return. What is more, the Ministry of Interior had already granted her temporary immigrant status.
In April 2018, the Ministry of Interior issued Ms. Weinberg-Connors an A/1 visa for temporary residence, a legal status designated exclusively for persons eligible for citizenship under the Law of Return who are contemplating applying for citizenship and permanently residing in Israel. An A/1 visa, similar to an A/5 visa, carries legal rights and protections far exceeding those under any other visa category. It includes the right to work unrestrictedly and the right to national health insurance. In addition, a person carrying an A/1 visa receives a National ID card with a National ID number.
When Ms. Weinberg-Connors presented her passport and National ID card at Ben Gurion border control, the Ministry of Interior rejected any protections she had as a temporary resident and immediately directed her to leave the passport processing line for further questioning. Her status as a temporary resident entitled her to a hearing with due process, a right to defend herself and a right to counsel, but all rights were denied her. Border control knew that she was a temporary resident with a citizenship application pending, but did not treat her as such. The system had flagged her prior to her entry as a left-wing activist against the occupation. Even before being questioned, the Ministry’s motive was clear: bring Ms. Weinberg-Connors in for questioning and interrogate her until a pretext can be found that would justify a denial of entry.
The Ministry of Interior’s plan worked, and it was able to hide from the public eye its true intention – to deny entry to a temporary resident exercising her right to citizenship because she was not “the right kind of Jew” that Israel wanted in Israel. The first question asked of Ms. Weinberg-Connors was whether she had ever been to the West Bank. Since Israeli law does not prohibit a non-citizen from entering the West Bank, Ms. Weinberg-Connors response – that she had been to places like Ramallah and Bethlehem – did not suffice, and the line of questioning continued.
The interrogator pushed Ms. Weinberg-Connors further until she ultimately said that she had visited Khan al-Ahmar, the Bedouin village in the West Bank currently scheduled for demolition. At that point, the Ministry of Interior was sufficiently satisfied with her response, and with adequate pretense in hand, denied her entry, claiming that she “was here to make trouble.”
When asked for the official reason for her denial, Ms. Weinberg-Connors was told that “the Civil Administration does not want you in Israel.” The Civil Administration, however, is the Israeli governing body operating in the West Bank under the auspices of COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories), and it has no jurisdiction over entry into Israel. On the contrary, under the Oslo Accords, COGAT may not demand that a foreigner request permission to enter the West Bank if the individual has already received a visa to enter Israel. Rather, the visa received is valid for both Israel and the West Bank.
Ms. Weinberg-Connors responded to the border control official’s misrepresentation of the law and argued that the Civil Administration cannot serve as the basis for a denial of entry into Israel. In addition, she stressed repeatedly that she carried documentation proving that she was in the process of receiving citizenship that she was to start studying in yeshiva in Jerusalem the next day. But her request to review her documents fell on deaf ears. The Ministry of Interior was not interested in any proof that would establish justified ties to Israel, especially not evidence of ties so strong that an application for citizenship was already pending.
When contacted for a response to Ms. Weinberg-Connors’ denial of entry, Ministry of Interior spokesperson Sabine Haddad replied:
The case concerns an American citizen who arrived to Ben-Gurion Airport in the evening, and after questioning her, it became clear that she was planning to stay in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority without the necessary approval from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). Upon checking with relevant security personnel, a conclusive recommendation was given not to approve her entry, but, after she committed to apply for the required permit in case she does plan on visiting the territories, her entry was approved.
The Ministry of Interior’s official position in no way reflects what actually happened. Nor does it reflect the justification presented in the official denial letter, which states that Ms. Weinberg-Connors was denied for “illegal immigration considerations.” Instead, the “official position” represents a sinister and dishonest attempt to hide a terrifying new reality – the denial of rights to a temporary resident eligible for citizenship whose political views and activities are not in line with mainstream, right-wing public opinion. According to the Ministry of Interior, Ms. Weinberg-Connors politics make her “not Jewish” for purposes of the Law of Return, and as such, the Ministry of Interior has no qualms about denying her entry.
While Ms. Weinberg-Connors was ultimately allowed entry into Israel, her initial denial was meant to send a message to liberal Jews everywhere – you are not wanted here and while the law may entitle you to an unconditional right to citizenship, the Ministry of Interior will do everything in its power to make sure that such a right is withheld from you.
For news coverage of Ms. Weinberg-Connors legal ordeal, see:
https://972mag.com/border-agents-tell-jewish-american-the-idf-doesnt-want-you-in-israel/137719/