Immigration Authority rejects German journalist's work visa application over anti-Zionist politics

Israel's Population and Immigration Authority rejected German journalist Serena Bilanceri's work visa application, blocking her appointment as Die Tageszeitung's permanent Israel correspondent. The decision followed a recommendation from the Diaspora Affairs Ministry under Amendment 40 to the Entry into Israel Law, citing her anti-Zionist writings and calls for sanctions against Israel.

Israel's Population and Immigration Authority rejected German journalist Serena Bilanceri's work visa application on Sunday, blocking her appointment as the permanent Israel correspondent for the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung (taz). The decision followed an official recommendation from Avi Cohen Scali, director-general of the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry, submitted under Amendment 40 to the Entry into Israel Law, which allows authorities to deny entry and visas to individuals acting against the state. Bilanceri, 43, a German journalist of Italian descent who covers the regional conflict from Jordan, Syria, and Israel, published several opinion articles over the past year accusing Israel of apartheid and calling on the international community to impose sanctions. In a November 2025 article titled "Sanctions Against Israel," she argued that settler violence was part of a "radical expulsion strategy" and called on the US, Germany, and other European countries to impose economic and military sanctions. In a September 2025 article titled "The European Union Must Act Together Now," she criticized Germany for opposing a European Commission proposal to impose sanctions on Israel over the fighting in Gaza. Scali commented that "anti-Israel actors and those who slander Israel should not set foot in the country" and that Israel will not tolerate calls for a boycott under the guise of professional journalism. The decision follows a series of regulatory measures against foreign activists and journalists who advocate boycotts and sanctions against Israel.