Israel refuses entry
to American peace activists

MEDIA ADVISORY
American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice
April 19, 2002
Contact: Iman Farajallah 650-994-1025 or Raeed Tayeh 202-489-3773

A delegation of American Peace activists from the San Francisco Bay area was denied entry into Israel upon arriving at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport yesterday. The eight activists, led by journalist Alison Weir, were headed for the occupied territories to promote peace between Palestinians and Israelis. They were immediately arrested at the airport and held in detention without being told why.

According to the delegation, officials from the US embassy in Tel Aviv were summoned to the airport where they conferred with security officials. The delegation was later told that an agreement was reached by the Israeli and American authorities to bar their entry and return them on the next flight out. It appears that the Israelis had received a memo from their consulate in San Francisco advising ahead of time that this peace delegation would make be arriving soon, hoping that airport security would intercept the activists and avoid an further international embarrassment for Israel.

The delegation was sponsored by Iman Network, If Americans Knew, and American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice. The members of the delegation, several of whom are American Jews, are:

    Frank Sosa Los Angeles
    Neil Mick San Francisco
    Pauline Lorimer Craig Marin County
    Regina Carey Marin County
    Alison Weir Marin County
    Gary Krane Marin County
    Claiff Christina San Jose
    James Duhring San Jose

Global Peace is calling on the State department to file a formal protest with the Israeli government for not honoring the passports of these American citizens and refusing them entry for no apparent reason. "We were saddened when we heard that the delegation was being sent back, but we were not surprised. If the Israelis succeeded in shrugging off the demands of president Bush, then why would they respect the citizens of the country that pays for its occupation of the Palestinian people," said Yousef al-Yousef, chairman of Global Peace.

The delegation was scheduled to arrive today in San Francisco at 11:50 a.m. More details will emerge about this incident once the delegation members are debriefed.

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