sraeli authorities detained dozens of pro-Palestinian activists on
Friday arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv.
The activists were part of a coordinated effort involving hundreds of
people, mostly from Europe.
They had planned to fly into Israel to show solidarity with Palestinians, but most of the activists never made it.
Israeli authorities sent a list of nearly 350 names to airlines,
saying the individuals on it would not be allowed to enter Israel for
security reasons. They would be sent back, Israel said, and the airlines
would have to pay for it.
By lunchtime on Friday, the tactic seemed to have worked. Some 200
activists had been denied permission to board flights to Tel Aviv.
Still, the Israelis weren’t taking any chances.
Hundreds of additional security forces were deployed to Israel’s main
airport. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said authorities had the
situation under control, but the event was also unprecedented.
“This is the first time that we’re dealing with a large number of
activists intending to disrupt travel in Ben Gurion airport,” Rosenfeld
said. “It’… >>>
