JERUSALEM — Israel has stepped up its battle against outside supporters of an international boycott movement against the Jewish state with a new law that would bar entry to them.

The measure drew fierce criticism Tuesday from dovish activist groups who condemned it as the latest in a series of steps to silence critics. Officials, meanwhile, struggled to explain how it would be enforced.

Palestinian supporters who have called for an international boycott against Israel won't be allowed into the country under a law approved by the Knesset Monday night. Associated Press/Jacques Brinon

The BDS movement advocates boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel in what its supporters say is a nonviolent way to promote the Palestinian struggle for independence. It has urged businesses, artists and universities to sever ties with Israel and includes thousands of volunteers around the world.

But Israel says the campaign goes beyond Israel’s occupation of lands claimed by the Palestinians and masks a deeper aim of delegitimizing or even destroying the country.

The law, which was approved by the Knesset Monday night, does not apply to Israeli citizens or permanent residents. It states that no visa or residence permit will be given to anyone who “knowingly issued a public call to impose a boycott against the state of Israel or committed to participate in a boycott.”

It also includes those who boycott Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

“This isn’t about someone who personally boycotts but a person who calls for boycott or who actively participates in a boycott,” said Betzalel Smotrich, a lawmaker from the pro-settler Jewish Home party who sponsored the bill. “We can’t prevent that in the place he lives, but we should definitely not … let him into our country and allow him to use us as a base against us.”

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