Israeli court lets two pro-Palestinians stay, with conditions

Jul 13, 2011, 15:44 GMT

Tel Aviv - An Israeli court ruled Wednesday that two pro-Palestinian activists slated for deportation could remain, but only if they agreed not to participate in demonstrations, a spokesman for the Welcome to Palestine organization said.

Sergio Yahni, whose organization is behind a fly-in of pro-Palestinian activists, could not say, however, whether the two agreed to the condition laid down by the District Court in the city of Petah Tikva, east of Tel Aviv.

The two activists - Sylvia Hale, a retired Australian regional parliamentarian and Green Party member, and Vivienne Porzsolt, a member of Jews Against the Occupation - arrived in Israel from Athens on Tuesday.

They had planned to participate in a flotilla to the Gaza Strip, but the ship they were on has been prevented from leaving Greece.

On Thursday, a German artist and translator, detained by authorities upon her arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, is also set to challenge the order deporting her from Israel.

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists began arriving at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Friday, as part of the fly-in organized by a coalition of Palestinian civil groups.

But intense Israeli diplomacy prevented many from boarding flights departing from several airports across Europe, while 130 activists were refused entry upon landing in Israel.

By Tuesday, most of the 130 had been expelled from the country, yet four were allowed in after signing pledges not to participate in 'disturbances of the order.'

Organizers of the fly-in said about 60 to 90 activists made it to the West Bank, in part by not declaring openly that they were participants of the Welcome to Palestine Campaign.

Palestinian civil groups had called on foreign supporters to join a week of 'non-violent resistance,' scheduled to end Saturday, against the Israeli occupation. The activists were asked to declare the purpose of their visit openly.

The campaign sought to draw attention to the fact that the West Bank can only be reached by plane via Israel, giving the country control over who can enter.