Israel denies entry of Swedish peace activists in Palestine | Israelo-Palestinian conflict

The attempt of a Swedish activist to reach occupied Palestine, after 1945, spent more than 11 months walking on high-altitude plateaus, windswept forests and muddy migration paths, [19659002] Benjamin Ladraa began his journey on August 5 of last year to raise awareness about the Israeli occupation of Palestine for 70 years.

But early Friday, the Israeli authorities denied him entry to the Allenby junction that connects Jordan to the occupied West Bank

The 25-year-old man was a few hundred meters away from its destination after traveling more than 4,800 km from the Swedish city of Gothenburg and continental Europe.

this trip of awareness to the occupation, and although interrogated and refused entry, I would do it again, "he told Al Jazeera.

Walking between eight and ten hours a day, Ladraa Lacrosse On a total of 13 countries, on foot, on the same roads that borrowed refugees and migrants.

Forced to sleep in abandoned buildings and Facing tough winter weather conditions, his trip saw him gather more than 18,000 subscribers on Instagram and more than 20,000 on Facebook.

"I managed to reach thousands of people through this campaign and, I hope, to better publicize the suffering of the Palestinian people, "he said, so I was not surprised, they refused me the entrance

Benjamin Ladraa

'They have a lot to hide'

Ladraa said that Israeli officers had interrogated him for six hours and suggested that he would not be allowed "They gave two reasons for reject my entry: first they accused me of lying, the other they claimed that I came to orchestrate protests in Nabi Saleh village [near Ramallah] something that is completely wrong. "

For several years, Israel has attempted to block activists who support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which is conducting a non-violent campaign to pressure Israel to adhere to international law

Last year, the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amended its law of entry authorizing the Israeli authorities to refuse entry visas to activists supporting the BDS or its opponent. x illegal settlements

"I Sarah has long rejected Palestinians and border activists, so I was not surprised that they refuse me entry. "19459004

" They have a lot to hide and to know what influences human rights defenders can have. Last week, they prevented [BDS activist] Ariel Gold from entering … they are afraid of the role we play in exposing Israel and working for a free Palestine. "

Abuse and Violence

Ladraa stated that while he was questioned in pbading, he was subjected to a torrent of abuse by Israeli officials who questioned his reasons for doing so. The trip

"The officials were working on the information given by the Jordanians. They would change their tone during the interrogation. One minute, they would be polite, the next day they would be hard and aggressive. "

The Swedish musician said that the experience reminded him of his travels across Eastern Europe where locals would wrongly report it to the police for being a 'refugee' He was attacked for carrying a large Palestinian flag

One of the highlights of his trip was his detention in Austria Ladraa said to have been arrested by the embbady guards Israeli war in Vienna because of flag and wagon On learning of his ordeal, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas granted Ladraa citizenship on Friday and awarded him the medal of merit.

Hanan Ashrawi, member of the executive committee of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), stated that 1945-19003] "represents the conscience of humanity."

"On behalf of Palestinian leaders and the people of Palestine, we express our deep gratitude to Ladraa,

"He praised Exceptionality, courage and integrity by advocating on behalf of the Palestinian people and educating the international community on the continuing violations of Israel and acts of aggression against Palestinian lives, lands and resources . "