23 Delegates Detained for Nine Hours at Jordan Border

International travel to the West Bank requires military clearance, a process that became a point of contention this week when a large group was stopped at the border.

Israeli forces detained a delegation of 23 people for nine hours at the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge in Jordan on Monday. The group included elected officials from the UK, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Greece, Holland, Ireland, and the US. After the nine-hour wait, officials denied the group entry to the West Bank.

The delegation aimed to attend Progressive International’s Second Ramallah Congress. The event, held in partnership with Birzeit University, was scheduled to include meetings with Palestinian academics, students, and civil society leaders. The group also planned to visit farms to observe the olive harvest season.

Clive Lewis, a Labour MP and member of the delegation, described the experience as deeply unpleasant. He said the group was taken aside and interrogated, with some members being shouted at. Lewis noted that officials questioned the group's purpose and the narratives they intended to share about their visit.

Former Labour MP Sam Tarry said the group believed they had a genuine chance of crossing the border. He argued that the decision to hold the delegates was political. Tarry stated that Israeli forces did not want observers witnessing conditions in the West Bank ahead of upcoming elections.

The detention occurred during a period of heightened tension over the olive harvest. The UN aid coordination office recorded at least 160 settler attacks in the first two weeks of October, often with the participation of Israeli forces. Earlier this month, Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed officials to pursue exclusion orders against activists visiting olive-growing areas. In recent weeks, Israeli forces also detained approximately 80 volunteers, including US congressional candidate Brad Lander, and clashed with European diplomats.

Lara Bird, a Scottish National Party MP, said the group was turned away with no reason given. She questioned why Israel was determined to stop the visit if it had nothing to hide. Laila Hazaineh, a political coordinator for Progressive International, said the refusal to allow entry would only strengthen the group’s determination to engage with Palestinian communities.