In January, Israeli security officials denied entry to CPT delegation leaders Bob Gross and Sarah Farahat after questioning them for more than 12 hours. Both were banned from entering Palestine or Israel for ten years.
According to Gross, almost all of the others pulled aside for additional questioning were people of color, most of Arab and African descent. “We’re clear,” he said, “that Bartlett’s Egyptian heritage as well as her photographic documentation of Palestine via the Internet were motivating factors in their decision to deport us. In addition to this racism, the Israeli government fears anything that seems to value Palestinian equality or human rights, which means that those of us who are committed to nonviolent peacemaking are considered a threat.”
