Today Israeli authorities barred me and other European elected representatives from entering the West Bank to meet Palestinian students and civil society leaders, as part of a
@ProgIntl delegation.
We knew that by crossing into the occupied Palestinian territories, we risked being detained, interrogated and turned away by Israeli authorities. And that, alas, is exactly what happened.
For more than eight hours, we were held, interrogated and made to feel as though we had done something wrong simply by attempting to enter.
The simple truth is we had done nothing wrong. We went to show our support for the Palestinian people and highlight the terrible injustice and violence being perpetrated against them. We want to ensure that people back home do not look away from the reality of what is happening.
Ultimately, we went to show solidarity. But we left with an even greater determination to speak out. We will not be silenced, and we will not look away. None of us should.