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Israel revokes taz correspondent Serena Bilanceri's residency permit, bars re-entry
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Israel has revoked the residency permit of taz correspondent Serena Bilanceri, barring her from re-entering the country. The Israeli government claims she called for a boycott of Israel in comments, an allegation she denies. The decision, announced earlier this week, drew widespread media coverage and condemnation from press freedom organizations including Reporters Without Borders, which called the entry ban a restriction on press freedom. Bilanceri has reported extensively in recent months on settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, the Israeli military's involvement, and growing government restrictions on press freedom. In a podcast episode recorded on October 14, 2026, she discusses the accusations, her experience over recent days, the state of press freedom in Israel, and taz's efforts to secure her re-entry.
Source report
Podcast "Fernverbindung" — by Serena Bilanceri and Leon Holly
The Israeli government has decided that taz's Israel correspondent may no longer enter the country, revoking the residence permit of Serena Bilanceri. When the decision became public earlier this week, many media outlets reported on it. taz itself, as well as organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, condemned the entry ban as a restriction of press freedom.
The government claims that Serena called for a boycott of Israel in comments. The correspondent denies this. So what is really behind the revocation of her residence permit?
In recent months, Serena has repeatedly reported on settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and the involvement of the Israeli military — as well as on how the government is increasingly restricting press freedom.
How did the correspondent experience the past few days? What is the state of press freedom in Israel? And how is taz trying to enable Serena to enter the country after all? She discussed these and other questions with taz editor Leon Holly.
The episode was recorded on October 14, 2026, at 12:00 CET.
Related "Fernverbindung" episodes:
- School Protests in France: Where Does the Anger Come From? — by Rudolf Balmer and Anastasia Zejneli
- Elections in Brazil: Right vs. Left, Young vs. Old — by Christine Wollowski and Tanja Tricarico
- Dealing with Environmental Disasters: After the Flash Flood in Nepal — by Natalie Mayroth and Judith Poppe
Source
taz.de - taz.deWestern