 My name is Jennifer Giannine. I am doing this interview with you for a man news agency in our studio here in Bethlehem, Palestine Would you please briefly introduce yourself? My name is Arielle Gold and I am the national co-director for Code Pink We are a women-led organization that opposes militarism and seeks to change US foreign policy away from war and towards human needs. I would like to ask you first of all, what is your official statement on being banned from Israel the other day? I am outraged that the state of Israel banned me from entry. Israel claims to be the only democracy in the Middle East and they claim to be a place where all Jews are welcome and Jewish history and Jewish values are towards debate and dissent and discussion of issues. So to ban me from entry simply for my political belief for my support of Palestinian human rights and my work for Palestinian human rights and with Palestinians on the ground is just unacceptable. I understand your outrage. I know that since you mentioned your political views, you're a BDS activist. May I ask you why you joined the BDS movement? I see boycott and divestment as tactics, nonviolent tactics to achieve political change. These are tactics that have been tried and tested, and proven successful from the lettuce worker boycott in the US to the US civil rights movement and the Montgomery bus boycott to the movement to end apartheid in South Africa. So the use of these tactics is not only entirely nonviolent, but proven effective. And I believe that everybody should have the right to engage in political boycotts. And these are these are tools that are used currently in the US when we, for example, boycotted a state for not differences in gender. Since you brought up the US, can you tell me about some BDS activities you've done in the United States? Sure. So one of the campaigns that I'm involved in is asking Airbnb to stop listing homes in illegal Israeli settlements. It's just unconscionable that Airbnb would be assisting settlers in expanding their illegal and violent activities that Airbnb would be advertising and rooms and houses in settlements and helping settlers to make money that way. Similarly, I have been heavily involved in and CodePinx has a campaign asking real estate giant Remax, which is located here in the US in Denver, Colorado, to stop selling homes in illegal settlements. And we've done a lot of work requesting this of them. Their Israeli franchise is located in a settlement. They have one of their offices and their Israeli franchise is located in a settlement and they continue to buy and sell and rent homes in settlements. And for for many years now, we've been asking them to stop selling these homes on stolen land. Yes, I wanted to ask you, since you do these BDS activities, if you faced any kind of problems with the United States Administration regarding your pro-Palestinian stance, for example, interrogations or restrictions on your social media activity possibly? None of those that you mentioned as of yet here in the US have come at me, but I would absolutely say that Israel is exporting their repression to the US and trying to and the results of that has been massive attacks on our First Amendment right to freedom of speech here in the US. I'm a New Yorker. I live up in Ithaca, New York. So I work out of Washington, D.C. and I spend about half of my time in Washington, D.C. Here in New York, my governor Cuomo signed an executive order trying to outlaw boycott divestment and sanctions and punish us for exercising our First Amendment right to boycott and moving towards Washington, D.C. on the federal level. We have legislation pending right now, federal legislation seeking to punish us for our right to boycott the Israel Anti-Boycott Act. That's very interesting. Have you ever organized anything regarding the United States Embassy transfer from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem? Because that was a big issue at the time. We've been protesting that since before it was announced and absolutely after it's been announced. President Trump really broke with the international community and I would say it was one of the most dangerous actions of his presidency to date to move that that embassy is a slap in the face to international law and to Palestinians working day and night for their basic human rights. So we have been involved in many protests of that and are outraged. Do you think moving the embassy will make it more difficult for Palestinians to have independent state later on in the future? I think for a long time now Israel has been making it more and more difficult for Palestinians to have an independent state and to have basic human rights and the movement of the embassy is just one more step in the theft of Palestinian land that's been occurring for 70 years now for over 70 years now and this is an alliance between two right wing extreme racist governments the Trump administration and the Netanyahu administration two governments that are committed to building walls to deporting people to banning refugees and immigrants and this is something that we all need to continue to fight back about whether it's the separating of families coming in from the U.S. Mexico border or it's the ongoing denial of the right of return to Palestinian refugees who have been displaced from their homes and lands since 1948. Well I have actually been following you in your story for the past years since you've been assaulted by an Israeli settler here in Palestine. My question is why would you come back after such an event happened to you and what is your message that you're sending. The message to people is that we cannot give up the struggle for human rights and it's my responsibility both as a Jew and as a human being and as an American given that my tax dollars go to Israel to support the Palestinian peaceful struggle for freedom and equality in the best way that I am able best utilizing my skills and for me that has for a long time involves coming to Palestine and building relationships on the ground and working in solidarity and that I was violently assaulted by a settler in Hebron which I was is a small price to pay compared to the violence that Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and East Jerusalem and inside Israel experience every day state violence as well as direct violence by settlers and they should say as well so when her name was Anat Cohen and the video can be found online because I livestreamed her attack on me while also asking the soldiers to to step in and protect me which they refused to do but after that happened I was able as an American Jewish as an American Jew as an American citizen to go straight to the court in Jerusalem and immediately filed for restraining order which I was granted and I wish that Palestinians when they are attacked by settlers which they are on a regular basis and when they are attacked by soldiers which they are on a regular basis could get restraining orders and I am aware of my my privilege that I was able to do so well would you come back again after being assaulted and banned from entering Israel absolutely and I'll be exploring with my lawyers any avenues to do that I'm quite aware that apparently getting a visa in advance of coming which is what I had done because the last time I exited they told me that I couldn't come back without a visa in advance so this time I did that so I am very aware that for myself doing that or simply showing up I will absolutely at this time be denied entry so I'll be exploring with my lawyers if we have grounds to contest the denial and if so I would be honored to come back and continue my work we would love to have you here may I ask you what did they tell you at the airport even though you had your visa what was their explanation to banning you from entering Israel other than you being a bds activist they actually did not bring up bds at any time during the interview which is quite interesting what they interrogated me on and and told me were really along the lines of two things one about having connections to and friendships with Palestinians including demanding to look through my the contacts in my phone to to see arabic or muslim names which is just disgustingly racist um that and grilling me on what happened last summer on uh taking the settler to court and publicizing what happened publicizing the violence of these of these settlers and the immoral actions of the israeli military and so basically um and this is a verbal what they told me was that I was being denied um because I made israel look bad I'm sure you help with telling your story today about what is going on in Palestine and what basic human rights are being violated in this day and age um I would like to lastly ask you since you live in New York in the United States uh and you're a pro-palestinian do you live in a pro-palestinian community or a pro-israeli community well I would I would say the US in general is uh supportive of israel though we're seeing that change we have a lot of encouraging things that we're seeing videos and statements from senator bernie sanders and others leaders in the house of representatives like mark pocan but overall we in the US continue to give billions of dollars uh to israel um I I actually don't live in New York City I live in upstate New York and it's a New York and I would say it's a mixture we have a strong community that supports human rights and dignity for all people and we also have those that uh ask to uphold the status quo um in israel and here in the US um do you feel in any way that these pro-israeli communities affect your social life or your bds activities in a negative way or do you think they respect your opinion as much as you respect theirs um I can say that some of the responses to me being denied entry and the responses previous to the work that I continue to do for palestinian rights have been really ugly um I have had uh thrust against my family I have had verbal uh attacks sent to me on against my children um I have been called names that I won't repeat because they are revolting and inappropriate so at times I would say it is quite ugly um and again I would say that it's my responsibility um as a citizen of the world and especially as a jewish-american to continue my work regardless of any hate that is uh directed at me for that work I totally support you with that now is there a message you'd like to say to anyone watching this video right now I would like to send a message to all of my friends um on the ground in Palestine who I consider my extended family and to say that I'm so sorry that I can't be um on the ground there with you um and that I will continue all of my solidarity and activist activities and that we will continue to work together until Palestine is free that was beautiful thank you so much for your time and for allowing us to do this interview with you and we hope you continue telling the Palestinian story and that you never give up bye I want to thank the viewers for watching this video and this interview that was done with Ariel Elise Gold a BDS activist that was banned from entering Israel and fights for Palestine every single day thank you