Police officers who were happy to be sent to the air-conditioned Ben-Gurion International Airport over the weekend, rather than to Jerusalem or other places, found themselves regretting it. Left with little to do, they ended up spending sizeable portions of their salaries at the terminal's many cafes, restaurants and shops. But the police force should take comfort from this. Sarah, who arrived from London, said that immediately after boarding the plane she and her friends saw two young girls who looked suspicious. The two were arrested by police when they arrived in Israel. According to Sarah, the police treated them cordially.
In the wake of careful preparations that prevented a large number of pro-Palestinian activists from arriving in Israel, police found that it was rather the large media teams and many uniformed and undercover police who were disturbing the public. "Are they filming something here-" asked a young woman who was waiting for a friend to arrive from New York.
"They didn't suspect me; they just asked me why I came, and I told them that I wanted to see Jerusalem and Bethlehem," Pippa Bartolotti, a woman in her 50s, said. Bartolotti's impressive looks apparently fooled immigration officials. "I arrived with a young girl of 17 and a few other people I met during the flight from London. They were all arrested there," she said. "This isn't my first time in Israel. I was in Gaza too, and I saw people there who didn't have bread to eat. My heart also cries out for Israelis who live in constant fear of something happening to them. I hope this event will bring the two peoples closer."
It could have ended differently
Instead of confronting protesters, police pondered the price of coffee and croissants • Few activists arrived • "I said I wanted to tour Jerusalem, and they let me in," one said.
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