Around 600 people, with over half French, are set to land in Israel July 8 in a �flytilla� effort to support Palestinians in the West Bank.
The French based group, Bienvenue Palestine (Welcome Palestine), said the effort is peaceful and comes at the behest of 15 West Bank Palestinian civil organizations.
The group plans to land in Tel Aviv and spend a �week of solidarity� with Palestinians. The group�s website says members will inform Israeli authorities of their intentions upon arrival and if prevented from continuing in the country will peaceably explain that they have a right to enter. They also said they will �peacefully resist being taken aboard the aircraft� if authorities should order them to leave.
The Israeli government has deployed hundreds of security personnel to the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv to stop the protesters from entering the country, according to AP.
At a press conference in Sofia Thursday with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, �Every country has the basic right to prevent the infiltration of provocateurs into its territory," according to the Jerusalem Post.
Authorities on Thursday also told foreign airlines to prevent around 300 activists from boarding planes over the weekend, according to the Haaretz newspaper. Israeli forces gave the airlines the names of the 300 people that were blacklisted, according to the report.
The timing of the 'flytilla' was set to coincide with the seventh anniversary of a decision by the International Court of Justice in The Hague that the wall Israel built around the occupied Palestinian territory is illegal.
The West Bank-destined flytilla is not directly connected with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, according to a flotilla spokesperson in the United States.
Students and professors from Colorado University are part of the American contingent flying to Israel, according to Bienvenue.
The Israeli Consulate in New York could not be reached for comment.
- Source
The French based group, Bienvenue Palestine (Welcome Palestine), said the effort is peaceful and comes at the behest of 15 West Bank Palestinian civil organizations.
The group plans to land in Tel Aviv and spend a �week of solidarity� with Palestinians. The group�s website says members will inform Israeli authorities of their intentions upon arrival and if prevented from continuing in the country will peaceably explain that they have a right to enter. They also said they will �peacefully resist being taken aboard the aircraft� if authorities should order them to leave.
The Israeli government has deployed hundreds of security personnel to the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv to stop the protesters from entering the country, according to AP.
At a press conference in Sofia Thursday with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, �Every country has the basic right to prevent the infiltration of provocateurs into its territory," according to the Jerusalem Post.
Authorities on Thursday also told foreign airlines to prevent around 300 activists from boarding planes over the weekend, according to the Haaretz newspaper. Israeli forces gave the airlines the names of the 300 people that were blacklisted, according to the report.
The timing of the 'flytilla' was set to coincide with the seventh anniversary of a decision by the International Court of Justice in The Hague that the wall Israel built around the occupied Palestinian territory is illegal.
The West Bank-destined flytilla is not directly connected with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, according to a flotilla spokesperson in the United States.
Students and professors from Colorado University are part of the American contingent flying to Israel, according to Bienvenue.
The Israeli Consulate in New York could not be reached for comment.
- Source
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