EU lawmakers denied entry to Israel call for bloc's strong response

ANKARA

Two EU lawmakers, who were denied entry to Israel and sent back to Europe shortly after landing in the country on Monday, called for a "strong" response to the Israeli action.

Lynn Boylan, head of the European Parliament’s EU-Palestine delegation, and French-Palestinian lawmaker Rima Hassan were traveling from Brussels to Palestine via Israel for discussions with Palestinian authorities.

Upon arrival at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, they were denied entry and deported to Belgium after hours of questioning.

Israel’s Interior Ministry said Hassan was barred from entry for boycotting the country but provided no reason for denying Boylan entry.

Speaking to Anadolu, Irish MEP Boylan said Israeli authorities had received all required permits and documents weeks in advance but provided no explanation for their treatment at the airport.

She emphasized that the delegation had an official role in scrutinizing EU funds in Palestine and facilitating diplomatic efforts.

“What we need to see now is a very strong reaction from the EU that this is not acceptable, and this is not how so-called friendly countries or allies behave,” she said.

Boylan also urged support for her delegation’s work.

“The key thing we want to hear from the EU institutions is that they support the delegation for relations with Palestine and the mission being rescheduled as soon as possible,” she said.

The Irish MEP said she had not been contacted by EU officials about the incident but had requested a meeting with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

EU-Israel association meeting ‘deeply disappointing’

Boylan also called the decisions made during the EU-Israel Association Council meeting on Monday, chaired by the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, “deeply disappointing.”

“It’s 13 years since this council met—surely there should have been strong conversations requiring Israel to explain their actions for the last 16 months,” she said.

The meeting came months after Spain and Ireland penned a letter urging the EU to reconsider its association agreement with Israel over human rights violations. However, the meeting did not lead to a break or a public discussion about the Spanish-Irish proposal.

Boylan added that the EU’s response to Israel’s actions had been inadequate.

“At the end of the day, the EU was formed to support international law, human rights, and the UN, yet one single country seems to be able to do whatever it wants with no consequences," she said.

A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting the Israeli war that has caused widespread destruction and left the Palestinian enclave in ruins.

Despite the ceasefire, the Gaza local authorities reported almost daily ceasefire violations by the Israeli army.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.