{
  "id": 10668812,
  "title": "Israel revokes aliyah approval for Jewish activists involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/israel-revokes-aliyah-approval-for-jewish-activists-involved-in-pro",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T10:42:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-910058"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Israel's Population Authority has withdrawn the aliyah approval of two Jewish activists in their twenties who are actively involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy in the West Bank. This news was first reported by Haaretz on Monday, but The Jerusalem Post has confirmed the details with one of the individuals, British national Lawrence Shenkin. The Jerusalem Post plans to speak with Shenkin later on Tuesday.\n\nAccording to Haaretz, this appears to be the first known case where the authorities may be violating the Law of Return, which guarantees every Jew the right to immigrate to Israel. Shenkin, who grew up in a Modern Orthodox family in Golders Green, has lived in Israel for five years and is a member of the left-wing religious organization Bnei Avraham. He joined the organization in 2023 and has been involved in protecting Palestinian communities from alleged Israeli settler harassment.\n\nThe second individual involved is alleged to be a British national, also in their twenties. Both Shenkin and the American woman were initially approved for aliyah by the Jewish Agency; however, the Israel Population and Immigration Authority later revoked their approvals.\n\nShenkin expressed his disappointment, stating, \"Because I'm left-wing, a lot of people don't understand that I'm religious. For me, living in Israel is a biblical commandment. I have so much love for Israel, faith in Israel, and hope for it. The people in power right now are challenging that, but the principle stays the same.\" He emphasized, \"What's happening here is anti-Zionist. After all, the whole promise of Israel is that any Jew can move there simply because they're Jewish. And now there's this new idea that you have to support a certain agenda, or else we don't want you.\" The Jerusalem Post reached out to PIBA and the Jewish Agency for further comment.",
  "summary": "The Population and Immigration Authority overturned the aliyah approvals of two activists in their 20s, who have worked with Palestinian communities in the West Bank.",
  "key_points": [
    "Israel revokes aliyah approval for two Jewish activists",
    "Activists involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy in West Bank",
    "Violation of Law of Return, guaranteeing Jewish right to immigrate"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}