Germany's Lufthansa has cancelled the flight tickets of dozens of pro-Palestinian activists who were planning to arrive in Israel Sunday to participate in the Welcome to Palestine 2012 event, the initiative's organisers said Friday. The activists were among hundreds of people expected to try to arrive en masse at Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, as part of the campaign which calls on activists to challenge what it deems "Israel's policy of isolating the West Bank."
Lufthansa confirmed they had cancelled tickets, adding that they were compelled to do so after Israeli authorities had informed the airline that certain people would be denied entry. The cancellations included passengers who were not part of the initiative - dubbed the "flytilla" by local media - according to a statement by organisers. Earlier this week, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Israel had given airlines the names of activists who would be denied entry, in the hope that these demonstrators will not be allowed to board flights bound for Tel Aviv.