Incident at the border: Delegation of lawmakers and politicians from Europe detained at Allenby Bridge and denied entry
A delegation of lawmakers and politicians from Europe was detained for questioning at the Allenby Crossing for eight hours and denied entry into Israel. The delegation, which included members of parliament from Britain, Scotland, and Spain, claimed they came to assist Palestinians with the olive harvest and criticized Israel.
The article reports on a diplomatic incident at the Allenby Crossing, where a delegation of lawmakers and politicians from Europe was detained for questioning for eight hours, and ultimately denied entry into Israel and returned to Jordan. Among the delegation members were British MP Laree Bird (SNP), Scottish MP Kate Nevins (Greens), British MP Clive Lewis (Labour), former MP Sam Tarry, and Juso Estarona Elizondo (EH Bildu) from the Spanish Senate. The delegation operated under the auspices of the left-wing organization 'Progressive International', aiming to participate in the second Ramallah Congress, meet with students at Birzeit University, and join Palestinian farmers in the olive harvest. Delegation members harshly criticized Israel, with Laree Bird accusing the IDF and settlers of 'violence and terror', and Clive Lewis claiming they were held without reason. The article notes that the denial comes against a backdrop of security tensions in Judea and Samaria, and that security forces are tightening oversight of international protest activists.