BEN GURION AIRPORT, (AFP) ? Israel quizzed dozens of pro-Palestinian activists who flew in on Friday and blocked hundreds more by threatening airlines with the cost of shipping back unwanted arrivals.
Police said at least 30 passengers were taken from an easyJet flight from Geneva and an Alitalia arrival from Rome and were being questioned over suspicion they planned to disturb the peace.
"Over the past two hours almost 32 people who arrived from Italy and Switzerland have been detained for questioning by (staff of) the Airports Authority," police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP. She said those who did not give a satisfactory account of their intentions were likely to be expelled.
Israeli news website Ynet cited easyJet staff as saying the passengers being investigated had not been on an immigration blacklist provided by Israel and that 40 people who were listed had been refused places/
Organisers of the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign, which some have called the "flytilla," had said up to 800 activists were to fly in to Ben Gurion, near Tel Aviv, on a peaceful mission to visit Palestinian families.
But Israeli authorities said they largely managed to preempt the campaign by foreign activists -- most of them from France -- demonstrating for the right of access to the West Bank.
Officials said that by notifying foreign airlines of ticket-holders who would not be admitted to Israel they prevented hundreds from boarding at their port of departure.
A statement from the public security ministry quoted regional police chief Benzi Sau as saying a joint operation by police, the foreign ministry and transport officials "prevented the departure of hundreds of activists at their points of departure for Israel."
"Public Security Minister (Yitzhak) Aharonovitch instructed that ... forces continue to deploy so as to be able to deal with incoming flights this afternoon, including the prevention of disturbances, while exercising the necessary sensitivity," it added.
Immigration spokeswoman Sabine Hadad earlier told AFP: "Israel has given airlines a list of 342 unwanted people, warning them that they will be immediately turned back at the expense of the companies."
Following the warning, "the companies have already refused to take on board around 200 of these passengers," she said, adding that two US activists who arrived were sent back to the United States.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said six Israelis had been arrested in the arrivals hall, which is open to the public.
"Six left-wing activists were arrested at the airport after causing a disturbance in the terminal," he told AFP. "They arrived from inside Israel; they didn't come off the planes."
Some 50 airline passengers who described themselves as "pro-Palestinian" were prevented from embarking on a flight to Israel from Geneva airport on Friday, officials said, prompting flight delays.
Several people belonging to a French group of pro-Palestinians had tried to get past airport security doors, resulting in authorities temporarily shutting down boarding areas.
At Roissy airport in France, at least nine activists were prevented from boarding a flight of Hungarian carrier Malev to Tel Aviv via Budapest.
Austrian Airlines said Friday it had prevented a passenger at Vienna airport from boarding a flight to Tel Aviv, following a request by the Israeli authorities.
In a statement, the organisers of the "flytilla" campaign condemned the Israeli pressure on airlines and threatened legal action.
"We call on all airline companies not to accept such provocative, blackmailing and illegal actions by the Israeli government," it said.
"Visitors travelling between countries have rights under international law and bilateral travel agreements," it added. "Those who had reservations cancelled will exercise their right of protest including bringing legal cases in their own countries."
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