Israel apologises for 'unpleasant interrogation' of Jewish-American activist

Israeli authorities have apologised for their treatment of an executive of a liberal Jewish American group who was detained for an hour and interrogated after arriving in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

Jennifer Gorovitz, vice president of the New Israel Fund, said she was quizzed about her group's activities. The NIF, which describes itself as dedicated to working for "an Israel in which everyone is treated with dignity," supports a number of progressive groups which have been criticised by Israel's government.

"It was humiliating and emotionally scarring to find that, although I am a Jew and a Zionist, I might not be allowed into the country because I do not adhere to the government’s ultra-rightwing ideology," Gorovitz said in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement added that Gorovitz's interrogator had a document containing information about her with the term 'BDS' - an acronym for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement.

The BDS movement, which seeks to apply pressure on Israel by through academic, cultural and corporate boycotts of the Jewish state due to its continued occupation of Palestinian land, has garnered worldwide support and caused huge concern for Israel's government.

Israel accuses the BDS movement of seeking to delegitimise its right to statehood, with its parliament recently having debated a bill on banning BDS supporters from entering the country.

In December, a Malawian national was denied entry at Israel's Ben Gurion for allegedly being an anti-Israel activist.

According to the NIF statement, Gorivitz told her interviewer that her group does not support BDS, however that it "funds Israeli organizations that work toward human rights, democracy and equality for all Israelis".

Interior ministry spokeswoman Sabine Haddad said an apology was later issued for Gorovitz for any "unpleasantness" she experienced. The spokeswoman added that the interrogation focussed on the NIF vice president's visits to the country and not BDS.

Among the Israeli groups funded by the NIF is the human rights group B'Tselem and Breaking the Silence, a collective of former IDF soldier who are critical of Israel's military policies against Palestinians.

Hardliners in Israel's government have fiercely criticised both groups, with Israel having reprimanded Belgium's ambassador on Thursday over his prime minister's meetings with the NGOs.