Israel to Expel Pro-Palestinian Activists Detained at Airport

In July 2011, activists from Europe and North America organised what they called a "flytilla". It was an airborne version of the Gaza flotillas: large numbers of people would fly into Ben Gurion airport and openly declare that they were travelling to visit Palestinians in the West Bank.

The response

Israel treated the operation as a provocation. It supplied airlines with lists of passengers it would refuse entry, and many were stopped before they boarded in Europe. Those who reached Israel were questioned; well over a hundred were detained and deported. Immigration officials said they had acted against people who intended to cause disturbances.

The underlying issue

For activists, the point was that Israel controls all external access to the West Bank, including for visitors who have no intention of staying in Israel. Travellers who declare that they are going to Palestinian areas can be refused entry, while those who say nothing can often pass.

Israeli officials described the flytilla as a publicity stunt by groups hostile to Israel and defended the country's right to decide who enters.

Since then

Israel has since formalised entry bans on supporters of boycott campaigns, under a 2017 law. Disputes over the entry of foreign activists, academics and even members of foreign parliaments have continued, making access to the Palestinian territories a political question in its own right.