Israel Matzav

Monday, August 27, 2012

Jordan won't allow 'flytilla' activists to cross into Israel

A group of 'foreign activists' were denied entry from Jordan into Israel by the Jordanian authorities on Sunday. The 'activists' had flown to Amman and hoped to cross into Judea and Samaria. It didn't happen.

"The Welcome to Palestine Campaign decries the Israeli denial of entry via the Allenby Bridge to over 100 internationals who wanted to visit us in the occupied Palestinian Territories," organizers said in a statement.

The group of around 100 activists had finished passport checks at the Jordanian side of the Allenby crossing but were denied entry at the first Israeli checkpoint and told to return to where they had come from, a spokesman for WTP told Ma'an.

No explanation was provided by Israeli crossing authorities as to why the group was denied entry, but the delegation will try to enter the West Bank again on Monday, the spokesman added.

"The denial of entry today at the Allenby Bridge border crossing from Jordan shows that the previous policies of siege and isolation continue," organizers said.

"We thus will continue to initiate more Welcome to Palestine campaigns. We insist on the freedom of entry. As Israel persists in these unjust policies, it is only fair to ask all countries to reciprocate by denying Israelis entry to these countries."

One small problem: It wasn't the Israelis who kept them out. It was the Jordanians.

"Two buses carrying 100 activists were not allowed to leave the Jordanian side" of Allenby Bridge Crossing, also known as King Hussein Bridge between the West Bank and Jordan, Walid Atallah, a spokesman for the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign in Jordan, told Agence France Presse.

"The Jordanian authorities stamped their passports and charged them fees and everything was okay. When the buses left, the last checkpoint on the Jordanian side was closed. No reason was given."

Atallah said the "activists left the buses and started to demonstrate near the checkpoint. One of them fainted and was taken to hospital."

"This was deliberate. Jordan did not want Israel to be held responsible for denying the activists entry," he added.

Heh. These people should go back to their home countries and find jobs.

Labels: Allenby bridge, flytilla, Jordan

Friday, November 05, 2010

Israel starts to cut the 'Palestinian' VIP count down to size

On Wednesday night, at the Allenby Bridge crossing into Jordan, Israel began to cut the number of 'Palestinian' VIP's down to size.

Israel prevented former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia from crossing into Jordan by car, Ynet reported Wednesday. The soldiers at the crossing told Qureia he would not be able to cross in his car and that he had the option to take a bus as others do.

Israel has officially announced that from now on only Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad would receive special treatment. Security establishment officials admitted that Wednesday's decision had to do with Qureia's recent statements against Israel's settlement policy.

So from now on, only 'Palestinian' leaders who want to live in peace with Israel will be allowed to cross as VIP's. By that definition, one has to wonder why Abu Bluff and Fayyad aren't told to take the bus as well.

Labels: Abu Ala, Abu Mazen, Allenby bridge, Palestinian leaders, Salam Fayyad