Officials said authorities assessed that up to 800 foreigners would try
to enter Israel to stage pro-Palestinian demonstrations. They said Israel
gave Western airlines the names of 342 Americans and Europeans suspected of
being sent by pro-Hamas organizations and warned that the carriers would be
responsible for the forced return of the activists.
"The Immigration Department is doing a good job," Interior Minister Eli
Yishai said. "They prevented a few illegal activists from entering. We have
a list of some people who are planning to hold illegal demonstrations around
the country."
Israel still expected at least another 100 pro-Hamas activists to try to
board flights from Europe, Middle East Newsline reported. They said Israel has reinforced security at
Ben-Gurion International Airport to rapidly quell any unrest.
"The wave is still ahead of us," Internal Security Minister Yitzhak
Aharonovitch said. "We're not taking any chances. The presence of undercover
and overt forces at the airport has prevented many who sought to disturb
public order from heading [to Israel]."
So far, authorities have detained 124 foreigners on suspicion of being
sent by pro-Hamas groups. The Palestinian Authority news agency, Wafa, said
50 Europeans succeeded in evading Israeli immigration officers and arrived
in the West Bank.
"Those who came here did not go to Ramallah or Bethlehem," Intelligence
Minister Dan Meridor said. "They went to a roadblock to clash with
soldiers."