Israel bars entry to Italian journalist, citing his ‘one-sided’ reporting

Israeli authorities have blocked an Italian journalist from entering the country on the grounds that his reporting during previous visits had been “one-sided.”

Alessandro Stefanelli had entered Israel over a dozen times as a freelance journalist, but was notified by authorities in July that his visa had been canceled and that he should apply for a new one through the Israeli Embassy in Rome.

After contacting the embassy and not receiving an explanation for the visa cancellation, Stefanelli decided to try and enter the West Bank through the Israeli-controlled Allenby Crossing.

But he was not allowed in and instead taken for interrogation before being sent back to Jordan.

He was given a document that stated Israeli authorities had determined that his coverage against Israel had been one-sided.

The document also cited a claim by Stefanelli that characterized the situation in the West Bank as apartheid, given the unequal treatment of Jews and Arabs by Israel in the territory.

Stefanelli submitted a petition against the decision by Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority and is waiting for a court to rule on the matter.

PIBA told Haaretz, which broke the story, that its response would be presented in court.

Stefanelli is the latest foreign national to be denied entry into Israel, joining a handful of volunteer doctors who were barred from returning to Gaza, aid workers, along with left-wing lawmakers and activists critical of Israel’s policies in the territories.