'Air Flotilla' lands, 20 activists barred entryAt least 60 pro-Palestinian activists taken from EasyJet, Alitalia flights for police interrogation; 6 Israeli left-wing activists arrested after causing disturbance at airport; undercover agents, police deployed at B-G airport.
Police diverted two passenger aircraft that landed at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Friday, detaining at least 60 suspected pro-Palestinian activists for questioning. Some 20 activists in that group were denied entry.
The flights, one EasyJet from Geneva and one Alitalia, were diverted to Terminal 1, where police combed passengers for pro-Palestinian activists expected to attempt entry into the country as part of the "Air Flotilla," Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Police believed a bulk of foreign pro-Palestinian activists were on those jets.
After police finished checking the flights, passengers not connected to the groups of activists were ferried back to Terminal 3. The suspected activists were taken to a separate area of the airport for questioning. The activists involved represented a number of different countries, including the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Undercover agents and police continue to be deployed at Ben-Gurion Airport as more "air flotilla" participants were expected to arrive.
Meanwhile, six left-wing Israeli activists were arrested after causing a disturbance in the arrivals area at Terminal Three police added. "Five males and one female are being questioned," Rosenfeld said. The activists held up signs inside the terminal saying "Welcome to Palestine." Several of them were taken outside by police where they were arrested and attacked by bystanders.
Earlier Friday, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said that even though hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists taking part in the "air flotilla" were prevented from entering Israel, "the wave was still ahead of us," adding that in the coming hours approximately 100 activists are expected to land in Israel. "We're not taking any chances," the minister said.Ahronovitch made the comments during an assessment held at Ben Gurion Airport on Friday morning together with police Insp.-Gen. Yochanan Danino and other senior police officials. During the meeting, the latest security preparedness was discussed, and the minister heard that all security agencies were able to "significantly minimize" attempts by hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists abroad from reaching Israel, by preventing them from boarding at their point of origin, the Public Ministry said in a statement.
"At the same time, police preparations at Ben Gurion Airport is creating deterrence," the statement added. "The presence of undercover and overt forces at the airport has prevented many who sought to disturb public order from heading [to Israel]," the statement added.
Police are also mobilized at the Temple Mount and along the green line to prevent any disturbances.
There are a number of flights scheduled to arrive this afternoon that immigration authorities will pay special attention to, the Police spokesman told The Jerusalem Post.
Around 200 foreign activists are believed to have been banned from boarding flights bound for Israel in various European airports. The Interior Ministry told foreign airlines on Thursday they were required under Israeli law to remove "pro-Palestinian radicals" from flights bound for Israel.
Also speaking at the airport on Friday, Interior Minister Eli Yishai commented that the "Immigration department is doing a good job. They prevented a few illegal activists from entering." He added that "we have a list of some people who are planning to hold illegal demonstrations around the country."
At Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport, fifty pro-Palestinian activists arrived at the Lufthansa terminal hoping to board a flight to Israel, and then refused to leave the terminal after they were blocked from boarding the plane, Israel Radio reported.
Olivia Zemour, leader of the EuroPalestine organization that is arranging the "air flotilla," said that the blacklist includes names of 347 activists. "Charles de Gaulle Airport is under Israeli occupation. We are peaceful people and have no interest in causing disorder at Ben Gurion Airport," Zemour was quoted by Israel Radio as saying.
In Geneva, EasyJet also refused to let 30 acitivists on board a flight to Israel.
200 pro-Palestinian activists stopped from entering Israel
Around 200 pro-Palestinian activists were denied entry to Israel or were prevented from boarding flights to the country as part of an "aerial flotilla," Israel Radio reported on Friday.
Fifty pro-Palestinian activists on Friday morning arrived at the Lufthansa terminal at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport hoping to board a flight to Israel, and then refused to leave the terminal after they were denied from boarding the plane, Israel Radio reported. The German airline refused to all them to board the flight to Israel via Frankfurt after the activists' names appeared on a blacklist submitted by Israeli authorities.
Olivia Zemour, leader of the EuroPalestine organization that is arranging the "aerial flotilla," said that the blacklist includes the names of 347 activists.
| From Ma'an, the Palestinian perspective: |
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli police at Ben Gurion airport deported two American women Friday morning, as airlines across Europe barred 300 passengers on an Israeli blacklist from flying, prompting demonstrations in Paris and Geneva airports. Barred passengers were camped out in the Paris airport, and French authorities were holding three in detention, a French activist told Ma'an.
Organizers of the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign, which some have described as the "flytilla," say 600 or so activists booked to fly in on Friday to visit Palestinian families and have "totally peaceful intentions." Activists told Ma'an that "at least 40" people had successfully boarded planes in Europe to participate in a week of activities in the West Bank, including theater trips and tree-planting.
| Golly. Forty boardings out of six hundred attempts. If any of them get out of Ben Gurion airport, that will be infinitely more effective than the flotilla effort. |
"Israel has given airlines a list of 342 unwanted people, warning them that they will be immediately turned back at the expense of the companies," Israeli immigration spokeswoman Sabine Hadad told AFP.
Two Americans who arrived in Ben Gurion Friday morning were returned to their departure point of Athens, due to their "intention to create provocations and disrupt the peace," Israeli police said. A French activist with the 'EuroPalestine' group told Ma'an that Mohammad Al-Amir, Petseyana Leddis and Adrian Rue, who were planning to travel to Ben Gurion airport, had been detained in Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport.
"Israel is dictating laws to France by barring its people from traveling," she said.
| No, Israel just refuses to allow them to land there. They can travel anywhere else in the world that's willing to welcome them. |
| A peaceful movement supporting containing a scattering of practicing terrorists supporting a government of genocidal terrorists, but don't let's think about that. |
In a statement, the organizers of the "flytilla" campaign condemned the Israeli pressure on airlines and threatened legal action. "We call on all airline companies not to accept such provocative, blackmailing, and illegal actions by the Israeli government," it said.