CPTnet
12 December 2013
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON): Israeli immigration denies entry to another Palestine team
member
On the night of 5 December 2013, Israeli
immigration authorities denied entry to Patrick Thompson at the Allenby Bridge
connecting Jordan to Occupied Palestine. Thompson was
attempting to return for another stint on the team in Hebron. He initially told authorities that he
was entering as a tourist, to visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Tel Aviv,
and then points south, before re-entering Jordan. An Israeli official was
concerned about his previous stay of four months in Israel.
After detailed questioning over a period of
three hours and a search of his computer hard drive, authorities found a logo of
CPT and told him they were denying him entry because he had lied to them. Thompson
told them that he specifically did not mention his work with CPT or his
destination as the West Bank because of the way Israeli authorities had treated
many others when they volunteered this information willingly. Authorities denied entry to Jonathan
Brenneman, another CPTer, in September, when he declared his membership in CPT
and his plans to travel to Hebron. Thompson then waited another hour or so before the
authorities officially denied him entry. When he boarded a bus to go back
across the border into Jordan it was 1:30 a.m., a full six hours after his
arrival at Israeli passport control.
Thompson is the fourth CPTer to whom Israel
has denied entry this year. In addition to denying entry to Brenneman in
September, authorities turned away two reservists in July because of stamps in
their passports from their time with the Iraqi Kurdistan team—even though the
Kurdish Regional Government has friendly relations with Israel.
