Israel Bars Two Swedish MEPs From Entering Country

The Israeli government barred Jonas Sjöstedt and Hanna Gedin, two members of the European Parliament from Sweden's Left Party, from entering the country on August 23, 2026. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar requested the ban through the Population and Immigration Authority, citing the Entry into Israel Law. The Foreign Ministry justified the decision by stating the lawmakers consistently called for international legal proceedings against Israeli officials and accused the state of genocide, deliberate starvation, and targeting children and medical personnel.

Sjöstedt and Gedin had planned to visit the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem to meet with Save the Children and various human rights organizations. While the Israeli government claimed the pair intended to meet with the Palestinian Authority, Sjöstedt disputed this assertion. Gedin condemned the ban as an attempt to intimidate elected officials and hide human rights abuses. The European Union and Swedish embassies in Israel have protested the action.

This incident follows a 2025 Knesset restriction to the Law for Entry into Israel, which prohibits entry to individuals who publicly support the prosecution of Israeli citizens in foreign courts for war crimes. The ban is part of a broader pattern of restrictions; in June, Minister Amichai Chikli recommended barring American activist Linda Sarsour and French journalist Alice Froussard, and in May, Israel banned 40 activists from the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor over alleged ties to Hamas.