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Israeli authorities are on high alert ahead of the expected arrival of hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport this Friday.

Israeli police are preparing to handle flights scheduled to come in from Europe carrying activists, it says who may attempt to cause disruption upon their arrival in a type of "aerial flotilla." Speaking to CNN, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, "We are fully prepared to respond immediately and prevent any provocative incident from taking place at the airport" in Tel Aviv.

Major Gen. Bentzi Sau, appointed manager of the Israeli operations, has said in a radio interview that "Israel will allow any foreign citizen to arrive and travel the country but will not permit entrance of people suspected of disrupting order."

Hundreds of police officers are expected to take part in the operation.

While Israel is making serious preparations for the event, the activists say they do not have a distinct action plan. Olivia Zemor, organizer of the French delegation of mission "Bienvenue en Palestine" (Welcome to Palestine), representing 350 activists out of 600 who are expected to land at the Israeli airport maintains her group has no intention of causing disturbance.

Speaking to CNN, Zemor said, "I don't know who invented this story. We are only coming to visit the West Bank and show solidarity with the Palestinian people."

Yet, Zemor said she and her fellows will protest if we are treated badly or humiliated. "They don't have the right to refuse us the right to visit. Each one of us is going to say that we are part of the mission and do not to stay at the airport. We are going to go there and queue normally as the other passengers. Of course, if they are going to select people without any reason, without any explanation to deny our entry, we will object," she said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a special meeting Wednesday morning at the Ben-Gurion Airport with security officials in order to supervise the preparations. Netanyahu said, "Every country has the right to deny entrance of provocateurs and trouble-makers into its borders. This is how all countries behave and this is how Israel will act. We must act with determination but with minimal friction, maintain order and prevent disruption of normal life for the citizens of Israel."

The latest development comes in wake of recent failed attempts to jump start a second naval flotilla to the coasts of Gaza aimed to protest against Israel's naval blocked of the Hamas ruled Palestinian territory. Heavy diplomatic pressure applied by Israel and a series of technical problems have so far prevented the Gaza-bound ships from sailing off the coasts of Greece.

seems like a full court press is on.

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Originally Posted by Dødherre Mørktre:


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a special meeting Wednesday morning at the Ben-Gurion Airport with security officials in order to supervise the preparations. Netanyahu said, "Every country has the right to deny entrance of provocateurs and trouble-makers into its borders. This is how all countries behave and this is how Israel will act. We must act with determination but with minimal friction, maintain order and prevent disruption of normal life for the citizens of Israel."

This is what the activists intend.  They know the Israelis will confront them in an attempt to protect their sovereignty.  Activists, (as activists are prone to do) will escalate things forcing the security forces to take a heavier hand in the hopes that the world will condemn Israel.  Its what the flotilla is all about.  They dont really think they can sneak by a blockade and have announced their intentions and date of the attempts just in case.  they seek confrontation and hope they can make the Jewish people look bad in the world view.

So the activists will try to flood the airport and force chaos.  And they hope the IDF will give a few wooden shampoos and jail some of them.

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Originally Posted by Dennis Young:

So the activists will try to flood the airport and force chaos.  And they hope the IDF will give a few wooden shampoos and jail some of them.

The best thing the IDF can do is welcome them with open arms and give them an escorted bus ride to the West Bank. Totally take the wind out of their sails.  That way, if there is any trouble, it can be shown to be the flotilla people who were the aggressors not the israelis. In the usual palestinian-hugging circles (a new and politically trendy version of tree-hugging) the flotilla will be seen as a success if they make it to the west bank, but they'll try to claim  a moral victory no matter what happens anyway....

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You have a point.  But if video evidence of activists attacking IDF soldiers with lead pipes and guns (on the flotilla last year) wont convince then, nothing will.  Plus the activists would likely object to being searched for weapons and it would escalate...and the JEws would be labeled as evil...again.

These people hate the Jews.

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Israeli police boarded two passenger planes from Europe after they landed at Tel Aviv’s airport and took off 32 suspected pro-Palestinian activists for questioning Friday, part of its attempt to prevent a mass arrival envisioned by organizers of the coordinated protest.

Israel also blocked scores of activists at European airports, after circulating a blacklist with 300 names to airlines, and deported six passengers who managed to land in Tel Aviv, including two Americans who according to an Israeli media report wore “fly-in” T-shirts.

Organizers said only two out of several hundred expected activists managed to enter Israel so far, but more arrivals were expected Friday and Saturday.

Anna De Palma, 44, a Portuguese citizen, said she passed border controls without problems, apparently because she didn’t identify herself as an activist. “I said I was coming to visit. That was it,” she said. “I am not a conspicuous person and we don’t have to be conspicuous about it.”

Concerned by the growing number of confrontations with media-savvy activists and the international criticism that has often ensued, Israel took measures to avoid a clash this time by preventing protesters from reaching the country altogether.

Hundreds of activists had planned to arrive at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport over the weekend, beginning late Thursday. Organizers insisted they were on a peaceful, weeklong mission to express solidarity with the Palestinians and draw attention to life under Israeli occupation, including travel restrictions.

Israel tightened security at the airport ahead of the their arrival and asked foreign airlines to prevent blacklisted travelers from boarding Israel-bound flights.

By mid-afternoon Friday, the Israeli measures had been successful in preventing significant disruptions at the airport, although more arrivals were expected later in the day and Saturday.

Two planes that arrived from Geneva and Rome on Friday were diverted to a special area of the airport, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. Security officers boarded the planes and escorted 32 passengers off for questioning. Rosenfeld said the passengers would be granted or denied entry on a case-by-case basis.

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Originally Posted by Dennis Young:
You have a point.  But if video evidence of activists attacking IDF soldiers with lead pipes and guns (on the flotilla last year) wont convince then, nothing will.  Plus the activists would likely object to being searched for weapons and it would escalate...and the JEws would be labeled as evil...again.

These people hate the Jews.

In most cases thats very unlikely.  Many of them probably hate Israel, however hating Israel isn't the same thing as hating all Jews.  Thats a logical fallacy often invoked by people in certain political/religious circles to deflect legitimate criticism of a country that has bled British and American coffers and made several horrible decisions.

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I dunno. People have been hating Jews for centuries.  Even before they had a country.  And I tellya, the people on that flotilla bashing the IDF soldiers with lead pipes displayed pure hatred.  They werent defending a boat.  they were trying to kill a Jew.

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Originally Posted by Dennis Young:
I dunno. People have been hating Jews for centuries.  Even before they had a country.  And I tellya, the people on that flotilla bashing the IDF soldiers with lead pipes displayed pure hatred.  They werent defending a boat.  they were trying to kill a Jew.

There you go again, just because some people have historically hates Jews doesn't mean hatred of Israel is antisemitism.  I'm not denying that for some people it is *Iran*, but the racism defense or pointing to the Holocaust to counter criticism of Israeli foreign or domestic policy doesn't logically follow.  Additionally, if I'm wrong and all these flotilla folk are just trying to kill Jews with no other care, how do you explain the presence of the likes of Hedy Epstein or the American and German Jewish groups in the flotilla?

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Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:

Originally Posted by Dennis Young:
I dunno. People have been hating Jews for centuries.  Even before they had a country.  And I tellya, the people on that flotilla bashing the IDF soldiers with lead pipes displayed pure hatred.  They werent defending a boat.  they were trying to kill a Jew.

There you go again,...

Doing your best Reagan voice.  

Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:
...just because some people have historically hates Jews doesn't mean hatred of Israel is antisemitism.  I'm not denying that for some people it is *Iran*, but the racism defense or pointing to the Holocaust to counter criticism of Israeli foreign or domestic policy doesn't logically follow.  Additionally, if I'm wrong and all these flotilla folk are just trying to kill Jews with no other care, how do you explain the presence of the likes of Hedy Epstein or the American and German Jewish groups in the flotilla?

I see your point.  But I truly think 1 of 2 things are going on here.

1.  They either truly hate the Jews and want to see em killed.

2. They naively believe that Palestinians and Jews can live together in harmony and peace.

If it's 2, then these people are the same ones that ignore the missiles being smuggled in and the rockets launched into Israel from Gaza.  They are the same ones who react with hatred and violence when the Jewish people retaliate, or put up fences to protect themselves.  They are the same people who complain about Jewish settlements and who ignore the cheering Palestinian crowds handing out candy after a Jewish family of 4 were butchered by a Palestinian.

These people feel its never...ever the Palestinians at fault. Its ALWAYS the Jews at fault.

Thats why I believe its antisemitism.

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Or perhaps they don't condone the actions of either group?  Perhaps they believe that Hamas is evil, but also that Israels response only serves to empower Hamas further and as such make peace even more unobtainable?

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Originally Posted by Bryant Platt:
Or perhaps they don't condone the actions of either group?  Perhaps they believe that Hamas is evil, but also that Israels response only serves to empower Hamas further and as such make peace even more unobtainable?

If they do, how come you never see them out protesting about Hamas so, or trying to get ppl to sign petitions to get Hamas to co-operate with the Israelis?

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don't be so quick to dismiss, bryant. of course there's nothing like we saw in the holocaust, but anti-semetic attitudes are still widespread in the west, particularly in europe.


A 2006 study in the Journal of Conflict Resolution found that although almost no respondents in countries of the European Union regarded themselves as antisemitic, antisemitic attitudes correlated with anti-Israel opinions. Looking at populations in 10 European countries, Small and Kaplan surveyed 5,000 respondents, asking them about Israeli actions and classical anti-Semitic stereotypes. "There were questions about whether the IDF purposely targets children, whether Israel poisons the Palestinians' water supply - these sorts of extreme mythologies," Small says. "The people who believed the anti-Israel mythologies also tended to believe that Jews are not honest in business, have dual loyalties, control government and the economy, and the like," Small says. According to this study, anti-Israel respondents were 56% more likely to be anti-Semitic than the average European.

The first years of the twenty-first century have seen an upsurge of antisemitism. Several authors argue that this is antisemitism of a new type, which they call new antisemitism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism_in_Europe#Academic_research

The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) (superseded in 2007 by the Fundamental Rights Agency) noted an upswing in antisemitic incidents in France, Germany, Austria, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and The Netherlands between July 2003 and December 2004. In 2005, the EUMC offered a working definition of antisemitism in an attempt to enable a standard definition to be used for data collection: It defined antisemitism as "a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed towards Jews and non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, towards Jewish community institutions and religious facilities." The paper included “Examples of the ways in which anti-Semitism manifests itself with regard to the state of Israel taking into account the overall context could include"

Denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination, e.g. by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavor;
Applying double standards by requiring of Israel a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation;
Using the symbols and images associated with classic anti-Semitism (e.g. claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis;
Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis;
Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel.

The EUMC added that criticism of Israel cannot be regarded as antisemitism so long as it is "similar to that leveled against any other country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_antisemitism#International_perspectives

A recent survey conducted by the Anti-Defamation League found that anti-Semitic attitudes in seven European countries have worsened due to the global financial crisis and Israel's military actions against the Palestinians.

Some 31 percent of adults polled blame Jews in the financial industry for the economic meltdown, while 58 percent of respondents admitted that their opinion of Jews has worsened due to their criticism of Israel.

The ADL, a Jewish-American organization polled 3,500 adults - 500 each in Austria, France, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom - between December 1, 2008 and January 13, 2009.

According to the survey, 40 percent of polled Europeans believe that Jews have an over-abundance of power in the business world. More than half of the respondents in Hungary, Spain and Poland agreed with this statement. These numbers were 7 percent higher in Hungary, 6 percent higher in Poland and 5 percent higher in France than those recorded in the ADL's 2007 survey.

Nearly half of the respondents in each of the countries said that Jews were more loyal to Israel than to their home country. Twenty-three percent said that their opinion of Jews was influenced by Israel's military and political activities.

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/news/poll-31-of-europeans-blame-jews-for-global-financial-crisis-1.269834