Israeli authorities were on Monday holding 58 foreigners pending deportation, out of 79 barred from entering the Jewish state on ground they were linked to pro-Palestinian campaign, an official said. Immigration official Sabine Haddad told AFP that 21 people had been flown back to their port of origin.
Of the 58 who refused to leave voluntarily, two were being held in detention at the airport, while the other 56 were taken to a prison near Tel Aviv, she said, adding that 10 were due to leave the country later on Monday. Among those refusing deportation were 43 French nationals, eight Britons, two Italians, three Canadians, one Spanish national and one person from the United States.
All 79 activists would be barred from entering Israel for five years, Haddad said. Hundreds of Israeli police had been deployed at the airport from Saturday night in a bid to prevent the arrival of a wave of foreigners taking part in the "Welcome to Palestine" fly-in campaign, also known as the "flytilla."
Organisers of the campaign, now in its third year, had been expecting to welcome up to 1,500 people, but Israel vowed to prevent them from entry, warning airlines they would be forced to foot the bill for the activists' immediate return home. The organisers said in a statement on Monday that the detained activists had begun a hunger strike "in solidarity with the April 17 Palestinian Prisoners's Day on one hand and to renew the demand for their basic right to move freely in the occupied West Bank, specifically to Bethlehem."
European airlines, under Israeli pressure, cancelled the tickets of at least 300 Tel Aviv-bound passengers, sparking angry protests in several European capitals. According to Haaretz newspaper, over a third of the names presented to the airlines were added to the blacklist without any concrete evidence they were planning anything illegal.