Michael Oren
Michael OrenFlash90

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Michael Oren (Kulanu) has called "for an immediate examination of all policy towards the entry of political activists," following Monday's report about the detention for questioning of American Jewish reporter Peter Beinart at Ben Gurion airport.

"Every country has the right to defend itself against threats such as the BDS, which seeks to destroy Israel - but that does not mean that this right must be exercised without any distinction and in a harmful manner," Oren said.

"Detaining American Jewish reporter Peter Beinart is an example of how acting unwisely causes both strategic and PR damage.

"Beinart is a top-rate American media person, and I have known him for years as an editor and political commentator. Most of his opinions about Israel disgust me, but he does not support BDS, and in fact defines himself as a Zionist.

"Therefore, his delay and interrogation at Ben Gurion Airport damaged the State's image and forced the Prime Minister to admit that it was a mistake. Our image as a democratic state is one of the pillars [of the relationship] between Israel and the US, and harming it can have strategic implications."