Shashi Naidoo denied entry into Israel

Johannesburg – In a statement released on their website, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement of South Africa (BDS) confirmed that Shashi Naidoo has been blocked from entering Israel and making her way to the Palestinian Territories. 

The model announced in June that she would go on a fact-finding tour of the Palestinian Territories, guided by the SA Council of Churches, following outcry around social media posts she shared in which she expressed pro-Israel views, and called Gaza a “shithole”.  

“Israel authorities control access to Palestine and blocked her on the orders of Israel’s Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and the recommendation of Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan,” the statement reads.  

According to BDS, Shashi is not the only well-known South African who has been denied passage to Palestine, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Minister Blade Nzimande also being previously denied entry.