RAMALLAH, July 4 (JMCC) - Pro-Palestinian activists plan to fly to Tel Aviv en mass Friday to draw attention to Israel's control over the movement of Palestinians and their supporters.
Israel controls all entry points to the occupied West Bank and often bars Palestinians with foreign passports and others traveling there. New York activist Laura Durkay
told the Jerusalem Post she plans to say she is traveling to Palestine when she lands in Israel's main airport.
Durkay is one of 700 activists, mostly from Europe, who plan to land in Ben-Gurion on the same day, in an event titled, “Welcome Palestine.”
They hope to support Palestinian statehood and the struggle of the Palestinian people against Israel’s “occupation” of the West Bank.
The activists also want to make a statement about the importance of freedom of movement and access into the Palestinian territories.
The Foreign Ministry has already said that it plans to prevent the group’s entry into Israel.
In the past Israel has denied entry to international activists it believes plan to create disturbances while they are here.
As a result, many international activists tend to misrepresent the purpose of their visit when quizzed by custom officials at the airport.
“Instead of lying about their destination, they will say that they are coming for a week of solidarity with the Palestinian people,” Israeli activist Sergio Yahini said.
If the activists are denied entry, there will be a demonstration at the airport, and Israel will have to deal with the deportation of 700 activists, Yahini added.