The Jerusalem District Court on April 16 rejected an appeal by Human Rights Watch (HRW) activist Omar Shakir stemming from a decision by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri to revoke his work permit, which allows him to stay in Israel. The court determined that Shakir, an American citizen, must leave the country by May 1.

A 2017 amendment to the Entry to Israel Law allows the government to deny Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement activists the right to stay in Israel. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan had recommended to Deri that he revoke Shakir’s permit because of his “anti-Israel activism.” Deri agreed, and Shakir challenged his decision in court.

Shakir in his defense claimed that the material collected on him contains no evidence of his support for the BDS movement. The only possible charge against him was that he called on FIFA not to hold soccer matches in West Bank settlements. Shakir said that he had done this before he was granted a work permit and went to work for HRW.

In an interview with Al-Monitor after Deri’s decision, Sari Bashi, an attorney and the Israel/Palestine advocacy director at HRW, explained that the organization does not support BDS and that its staff is not permitted to discuss the issue. Moshe Nakash, director of the Visas Division at the Population Registry, confirmed Shakir’s claim that there was no evidence of him supporting BDS. Nevertheless, the Jerusalem District Court rejected his appeal, so he will be deported.