Israel detains Canadians in ‘flytilla’ protest

One Canadian remains in detention in Israel after an international group of pro-palestinian activists was barred from entering the country during a “flytilla” Sunday night.

The 19-year-old student is one of three Canadians of the 79 protesters who were detained by Israeli authorities at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. But according to the Quebec organizers of the “Welcome to Palestine” campaign, six more Canadians made it through.

The group is hoping to build a school in the Palestinian territories and also draw attention to the plight of those living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The Canadian co-ordinator for the campaign said they anticipated around 1,500 participants from around the world. This is the second “fly-in” campaign, after last year’s effort that saw 120 people arrested and deported by Israel.