Jewish activists appeal to Birthright group against occupation at UK airport

Members of a British Jewish group opposing Israeli control of the West Bank were turned away by police on Sunday at a London area airport, after they approached participants on a Birthright trip to Israel.

Activists from Na’amod, which describes itself as a “movement of British Jews seeking to end our community’s support for Israel’s occupation,” said they received a “positive response” from members of the Birthright group they spoke with at Luton Airport, despite protests from the Jewish charity UJIA.

“Activists received a positive response,” Na’amod organizer Emily Hilton was quoted as saying by the Jewish News. “Many participants were interested in staying on in Israel/Palestine to go on trips that explore the impact of the occupation on Palestinians and Israelis. Some didn’t even know what the occupation was, or what the West Bank was.”

Na’amod said its members managed to talk with all the participants on the trip and gave them postcards with questions they can ask while touring Israel before they were escorted away by police.

“We believe it is important that young Jews engaging with Israel know the truth: the occupation is a moral disaster and it is our responsibility as Diaspora Jews to bring about its end,” the group said.

Michael Wegier, chief executive of UJIA, said the Na’amod activists “are of course entitled to their views.”

“The trip has now taken off and we look forward to them having an amazing 10 days learning about the extraordinary achievements, realities and challenges of modern Israel in all its diversity,” he said, according to the Jewish News.

The incident at the airport came after a recent pair of walkouts during Birthright by young Jews affiliated with the American group IfNotNow, which opposes Israel’s presence in the West Bank, including one such protest on Sunday.

Birthright brings young adult Jews to Israel and strives to connect Diaspora Jews with Israel. On the trips, they tour the country’s highlights and meet young Israelis, including soldiers, who ride with them on their tour buses.