Letter to President to revoke free visas for Israeli nationals

Following is a letter written to President Anura Kumara Disanayake by Socialist People's Forum General Secretary Dharmasiri Lankapeli, demanding that his Government's policy to issue free visas to Israeli tourists be revoked, given the ongoing genocide in Palestine

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Dear President

Demand to revoke policy of free visas to Israeli tourists

This letter is to demand that you revoke the Government’s recently announced policy of waiving visa fees to Israeli tourists entering Sri Lanka.

In December 2024, a group of activists including members of the Socialist People’s Forum wrote to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) asking for an explanation as to how Gal Ferenbook, a member of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), alleged to have violated international humanitarian laws in Gaza, was allowed to enter Sri Lanka. To date, the IGP has not acknowledged this letter nor made public any investigations he may have carried out in response.

Since this incident, activists have publicly demanded that Israelis who enter Sri Lanka are screened because most Israelis are conscripted into the IDF due to Israel’s mandatory military service policy. We urged you to not allow Sri Lanka to become a safe haven for persons who are in active duty in the IDF.