Israel -- Aided by Facebook, Israel on Friday prevented scores of pro-Palestinian activists from boarding Tel Aviv-bound flights in Europe, questioned dozens more upon arrival at its main airport and denied entry to 69, disrupting their attempts to reach the West Bank on a solidarity mission with the Palestinians.
Israel had tracked the activists on social media sites, compiled a blacklist of more than 300 names and asked airlines to keep those on the list off flights to Israel. On Friday, 310 of the activists who managed to land in Tel Aviv were detained for questioning, said Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Hadad. Of those, four were immediately put on return flights and 65 were being held until flights home could be arranged for them, she said. The rest were permitted entry, she said. At one point during the operation, two planes from Geneva and Rome were diverted to a secluded area of the airport upon landing and boarded by security.
Organizers of the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign accused Israel of overreacting to what they said is a peaceful mission to draw attention to life under Israeli occupation, including travel restrictions. Israel controls all access to the West Bank.
"This was never about demonstrations at airports. We are on a fact-finding mission. We want to understand what's going on," said Pippa Bartolotti, a 57-year-old British activist from Wales.
She said she was the only member of a 40-member group on a flight from Britain who managed to enter Israel. "Unfortunately everybody else is in a holding bay and expected to be deported," she said. "There are people from Belgium, France and the U.K."
Israel has been jittery about the arrival of foreign activists since a deadly naval raid on an international flotilla that tried to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip last year. The incident, in which nine Turkish activists died in clashes with naval commandos, drew heavy international criticism and forced Israel to ease the blockade.
Israel took a series of measures to prevent clashes this time, most notably by barring protesters from the country altogether. Hundreds of police were also deployed at the already heavily fortified Ben-Gurion International Airport.
Authorities forwarded a blacklist to foreign airlines, preventing scores from boarding their flights.
Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, said the list was compiled by following organizers' preparations on social networks and websites. In all, about 300 people were identified as planning to create "provocations" upon arrival, he said.
"These people announced on their Internet sites that they planned to come here and cause disruptions, and told their friends. We were able to contact other foreign ministries and simply give them links," Palmor said. Barring entrance in such cases is "accepted practice in any country," he added.
Recent anti-Israel protests, including deadly clashes along the frontiers with Lebanon and Syria as well as another attempted flotilla last week, were organized on Facebook and other sites. Defense officials say Israel now closely follows organizer activities online.
Activists, meanwhile, were sending updates on their progress through Israeli border controls on Twitter.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said some 200 people were prevented from boarding their flights at airports throughout Europe. "The companies did not allow them on the airplanes because we told them clearly they wouldn't be able to enter Israel," Rosenfeld said.
More arrivals were expected Saturday.
Anna De Palma, 44, a Portuguese citizen, said she passed border controls without problems, apparently because she didn't identify herself as an activist. "I said I was coming to visit. That was it," she said. "I am not a conspicuous person and we don't have to be conspicuous about it."
"I am going to participate in the mission on the call of civilian Palestinian society. To participate in specific demonstrations. To help the Palestinian people. To make a stand," she said.
One of the organizers, French activist Olivia Zemor, said her group planned only nonviolent activities. "Welcome to Palestine" released a statement Friday calling the moves to prevent activists from reaching Israel "provocative, blackmailing and illegal."
At Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, several would-be protesters were turned away from check-in counters, and protesters subsequently gathered in the terminal, shouting "Boycott Israel," as French police stood by.
Cynthia Beatt, a British citizen living in Germany, told The Associated Press that she had been barred from boarding a Lufthansa plane Friday morning in Berlin. "Lufthansa called me last night and said I would not be allowed to board their plane because Israel denied me entry," Beatt said.
In Geneva, dozens of activists were barred from boarding an EasyJet flight to Tel Aviv. Aline Yazgi, a spokeswoman for Switzerland's second biggest airport, said the passengers tried to pass through security without a boarding card and were turned back, closing part of the airport for about 40 minutes as a result.
An EasyJet spokesman in Geneva, Adrian Fuhrer, said 40 people were prevented from boarding the plane at the request of Israeli authorities. "It was compulsory for EasyJet not to let these people on board," Fuhrer said.
Israel has not publicized its criteria for denying entry, but has said peaceful visitors will not be deported. The large numbers of people who were blocked indicated that Israel was giving few activists the benefit of the doubt.
The activists have placed Israel in an awkward position. Authorities are determined to keep out people they consider hostile agitators, but critics in Israel have said the government's high-profile reaction has only drawn attention to the activists' attempt to gain publicity.
Visitors can reach the West Bank only through Israeli-controlled crossings, either through international airports or the land border with Jordan. Citing security concerns, Israel bars most Palestinians from entering Israel or using its airport, meaning they must travel to neighboring Jordan to fly out.
At any given time, hundreds of foreigners, including activists and aid workers, are in the West Bank.
Travel restrictions in the Gaza Strip, ruled by the militant Hamas group, are even more rigorous. Israel allows few people to cross its border with Gaza, and most Gazans can travel abroad only by crossing into Egypt through their shared border.
related article CAN WE THE MALAYSIAN PEOPLE RISE TO THE OCCASSION WHEN THE NATION NEEDS US?
PRIME MINISTER NAIJIB Is this the man? The custodian of the dying ember? The man who generations to come will remember as the last man standing, before the new dawn set in? OR Is this the man who is going to set in an even more harsh regime? To ensure he and his team … Read more
today is the big walk.It is open to all Malaysians who believe in upholding democracy. Democracy is a big word but it has a simple meaning: it is a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
It is the people who are the masters of the country. The destiny of the country lies in their hands. Only they can decide which way they want the land of their birth to move.
They do this by casting their votes at the appointed time. They speak through the ballot box. They choose representatives of good character to sit in Parliament to champion their interests. But in the course of time, things can go wrong. Like what is happening now.
The government is NOT on the side of the people wanting to exercise their right to a peaceful assembly for a cause that strenghtens, and not wrecks, public institutions.
When thousands of ordinary men and women show up for the “Walk for Democracy” tomorrow, be it on the streets or in a stadium, they are not waging war against the government.
They have no reason to do so.
They are not rebels pouring out of the jungles or coming down from the mountains to capture the capital and set up another government. They are just plain ordinary citizens who wish to support a non-governmental organisation fighting for clean and fair elections. What is wrong with that?
But what is wrong with the government? Why is the state acting irrationally? Why does it see red in yellow? Suddenly everything has turned ugly. The government we elected to represent us has become our enemy.
Now it is state power versus the will of the people. The state says the rally is illegal. Bersih is illegal. Bersih T-shirt is also illegal. Everything connected with the movement is unlawful. Even the meeting at the palace between the King and Bersih does not appear to be legal. The state is doing everything in its power to make the people hate Bersih – and love the government.
It is plain for all to see that the people are not taking the bait. Acting harsh and repressive is clearly not going to win the government any brownie points.
Malaysians love peace but at the same time they do not like to be bullied into submission. Times have changed. People can think for themselves and separate truth from lies. In the Bersih story the government does not come out smelling sweet, innocent, clean.
The show will go on tomorrow and history is in the making. Do you want to take a stroll? It is up to you, the people, to decide the course of history. The government would prefer you not to go, but you do NOT need to heed its advice.
Then again you can be arrested for wearing a yellow Bersih T-shirt or simply anything yellow. You can be roughed up, beaten, tear-gassed at a hint of trouble.
The walk may turn into a rout. The risks are there. You are defenceless citizens up against the might of the state.
The crackle of a gunfire may ring out but the government must know the sound will reverberate all over the world.
People, the choice is yours.
Malaysians from all walks of life have travelled a very long road to reach this defining point in our nation’s history. With less than 24 hours to our intended peaceful gathering, our resolve to walk the last, most difficult mile as one united people in pursuit of clean and fair elections and a better Malaysia for all is firmer than ever.
Our reason for gathering is pure and simple – to demand the electoral roll be cleaned, that the postal voting system be reformed, that indelible ink be used, a minimum 21 day campaign period be instated, free and fair access to media for all be provided, public institutions be strengthened, and for corruption as well as dirty politics to be stopped.
The authorities have put obstacle after obstacle where they only needed to provide sincere cooperation to win the trust and confidence of the people. Having faced half hearted offers of stadiums, arrogance regarding meetings as well as denials of permits, arrests, detentions and so much more, we feel that we have done all that is humanly possible to demonstrate sincerity and good faith in dealing with the government – but we have only been met with reversed decisions and stone walls.
There are no walls however, that will arrest the advance of the cause of peace and justice. Come the 9th of July, we will uphold our constitutional right to converge peacefully on Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.
No government agency has any right whatsoever to prevent Malaysians from exercising their freedom of movement and access to our capital city. No threat or intimidation can overturn this fundamental truth.
Malaysians have now seen for themselves the degree of paranoia and lack of principled leadership that seems to have gripped the government. It is thus all the more imperative that patriotic Malaysians rise now and take this stand together to save Malaysia from slipping further into this insane darkness.
Since the beginning of Bersih 2.0, we have witnessed nothing but the utmost bravery and commitment to peace and justice demonstrated by ordinary Malaysians from every walk of life. Inspired by this example, the Bersih 2.0 leadership reiterates our own unyielding commitment to our shared cause, and to being at Stadium Merdeka at 2pm tomorrow. We will meet at the carpark, and trust that the doors will be opened for us.
This is Malaysia’s single most important defining moment in recent history, and we are fully confident that the rakyat will heed the call to safeguard the principles Malaysia was founded on and together ensure that we pass down to our children a nation that is just, democratic and united in love for one another.
Released by,
Steering Committee
Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH 2.0)
The Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0 comprises:
Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan (Chairperson), Andrew Khoo, Arul Prakkash, Arumugam K., Dr Farouk Musa, Haris Ibrahim, Liau Kok Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Subramaniam Pillay, Dato’ Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Dato’ Yeo Yang Poh dan Zaid Kamaruddin.
http://bersih.org/
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