Israeli authorities have served international airlines with a blacklist of 300 individuals in a bid to block the journey of pro-Palestinian activists into occupied Palestine.
The Interior Ministry of the Tel Aviv regime has ordered foreign airlines not to allow the blacklisted activists from boarding flights bound for Israel, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Due to pro-Palestinian activities of these (blacklisted) people, “it was decided to refuse their entry in accordance with our authority according to the Law of Entry to Israel 1952… In light of the above-mentioned, you are required not to board them on your flights to Israel. Failure to comply with this directive would result in a delay on the flight and their return on the same flight,” read a letter sent to the airlines by Tel Aviv’s Interior Ministry.
Hundreds of mostly European pro-Palestinian activists are expected to arrive in Israel within the framework of an initiative called “Flightilla.”
The effort is considered as a complement to the Gaza-bound flotilla II relief aid convoy, which has been hindered on numerous instances from reaching the impoverished enclave that has been subjected to a brutal Israeli siege since 2007, to deliver much-needed humanitarian supplies to its population.
According to French activists involved in the “Welcome to Palestine” event, Malev Hungarian Airlines has already barred around 20 people from boarding a flight from Paris to Tel Aviv through Budapest.
Additionally, French authorities have also barred eight activists from boarding flights to Tel Aviv.
The “Flightilla” takes place after a Gaza-bound naval flotilla was prohibited from leaving Greek waters, where about 10 boats are trapped following a sudden decision by Athens to impose a blanket ban on departure of any vessels destined for Gaza.
Prior to the Greek measure against the aid flotilla, several of the Gaza-bound vessels were disabled by saboteurs, widely suspected to be Israeli intelligence elements.
The 10-ship humanitarian flotilla was supposed to set sail for the Gaza Strip in early July in a bid to break Israel’s five-year blockade on the coastal territory, home to 1.5 million Palestinians.
The Tel Aviv regime has ordered the Israeli navy to use all possible means to prevent the incoming international aid flotilla from reaching the economically-distressed Gaza Strip, but the Gaza Freedom Flotilla II organizers insist that they will push ahead with their aid mission.
The Israeli military attacked last year’s Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, 2010, killing nine Turks aboard the Turkish-flagged MV Mavi Marmara and injuring about 50 other activists that were onboard the six-ship Gaza-bound aid convoy.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia in an attempt to make sure that Bulgaria would not support a September vote at the UN General Assembly for Palestinian statehood.
However, Netanyahu has reportedly failed to win a commitment by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov regarding the recognition of a Palestinian state.
Swiss deny activist flights to Israel
Israeli police officers stand guard at Ben Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv , Israel, awaiting the arrivals of hundreds of pro-Palestine activists, Thursday, July 7, 2011.
The Geneva airport has prevented nearly 50 pro-Palestinian activists from boarding their flight to Tel Aviv following a demand by the Israeli Interior Ministry.
Airport spokeswoman Aline Yazgin said, however, that she was not aware why the activist flights were blocked, but that it could have been due to a shutdown in security areas after a French pro-Palestinian group tried to pass through airports security doorways, AFP reported.
As the second Freedom Flotilla has been hindered on several occasions from reaching the impoverished Gaza Strip, activists planned to instead fly to Israel to attend a mass rally in the occupied West Bank before heading for Gaza.
Some 600 had joined the initiative called “Flytilla.”
As a response, Israel released a list to international airlines requesting them to block 342 passengers for their pro-Palestinian activities.
“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,” said an Israeli immigration spokeswoman.
It has been reported that some 200 activists have already been refused to board flights destined to airports in occupied Palestine.
Israel has already boosted security measures at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport on the grounds that the activists planned to “arrive on commercial flights from abroad to disrupt order and confront security forces at friction points.”
“Hundreds of trained police officers are deployed inside and around Ben Gurion (airport) in order to counter any development or event,” said an Israeli police spokesman.
Olivia Zemor, organizer of the French delegation of “Welcome to Palestine,” however, said she did not understand who had invented the story behind the activists seeking to disrupt any order, emphasizing that they “are only coming to visit the West Bank and show solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
French authorities have also barred eight activists from boarding flights to Tel Aviv.
The first Freedom Flotilla was blocked from reaching the impoverished Gaza Strip by a brutal Israeli military attack on the relief aid convoy in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, 2010. Nine Turkish activists were killed by the Israeli military and 50 others were injured. Nearly 700 activists were also detained in the horrific incident before being released two days later.
The Israeli regime imposed a punishing total blockage on Gaza in 2007 after the Hamas Islamic resistance movement was democratically elected into power and took control of the tiny territory.
Currently, some 1.5 million residents of Gaza are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement, the right to decent standard of living as well as the right to proper employment, education and healthcare.
France bars activist flights to Israel
French authorities have barred pro-Palestinian activists from taking a flight to Israel in a bid to visit their Palestinian friends and families.
“The activists departing for Tel Aviv could not take the flight and those who managed to board the plane were taken off by French police,” a Press TV correspondent reported.
The Press TV reporter emphasizes that French authorities have no legal rights to bar activists from boarding flights to Tel Aviv and the measure surprised even Air France employees who described the air carrier’s decision as ‘unprecedented in the last 40 years.’
France has reportedly taken the measure to block the journey of the pro-Palestinian activists to the occupied Palestine at the request of Israeli authorities.
Interior Ministry of the Tel Aviv regime has served international airlines with a blacklist of more than 300 individuals in an attempt to block flights of the activists to Israeli airports.
Israel has also beefed up security at its main international airport, ahead of the planned arrival of hundreds of the activists.
Hundreds of mostly European pro-Palestinian activists are expected to arrive in Israel within the framework of an initiative called “Flytilla.”
The effort is considered as a complement to the Gaza Freedom Flotilla II relief aid convoy to deliver much-needed humanitarian supplies to its 1.5-million population.
The 10-ship humanitarian flotilla was supposed to leave Greek ports for the Gaza Strip in early July in a bid to break Israel’s five-year blockade on the impoverished coastal territory.
The aid convoy, however, was prohibited from leaving the ports following a sudden decision by Athens to impose a blanket ban on departure of any vessels destined for Gaza.
