Israel revokes aliyah approval for Jewish activists involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy

Israel's Population Authority revoked the aliyah approval of two Jewish activists in their 20s active in pro-Palestinian advocacy in the West Bank. The decision, first reported by Haaretz, may mark the first known cases where authorities appear to violate the Law of Return, which grants every Jew the right to immigrate to Israel. One activist, British national Lawrence Shenkin, has lived in Israel for five years and joined a left-wing religious organization protecting Palestinian communities.

Israel's Population and Immigration Authority has revoked the aliyah approval of two Jewish activists in their 20s, both active in pro-Palestinian advocacy in the West Bank. The decision, first reported by Haaretz on Monday and confirmed by The Jerusalem Post with one of the individuals, British national Lawrence Shenkin, may mark the first known cases where authorities appear to be violating the Law of Return, which grants every Jew the right to immigrate to Israel. Shenkin, who grew up in a Modern Orthodox family in Golders Green and was raised Zionist, has already lived in Israel for five years. He joined the left-wing religious organization Bnei Avraham in 2023, protecting Palestinian communities from alleged Israeli settler harassment. The other individual is an American woman whose story allegedly mirrors Shenkin's. While the Jewish Agency approved their applications initially, the Population Authority overturned the decision. Shenkin told Haaretz, "Because I'm left-wing, a lot of people don't get that I'm religious. For me, living in Israel is a biblical commandment. I have so much love for Israel, faith in Israel, and hope for it. The people in power right now are challenging that, but the principle stays the same." He added, "What's happening here is anti-Zionist. After all, the whole promise of Israel is that any Jew can move there simply because they're Jewish. And now there's this new idea that you have to support a certain agenda, or else we don't want you." The Post reached out to PIBA and the Jewish Agency for comment.