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Welsh campaigner detained in Israel 2/11/2004
A Welsh peace campaigner was last night detained last night at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. He was reportedly threatened with deportation for his charitable work for Palestinian and Israeli peace organisations.
Mr Davies was stopped when he arrived at the airport late last night on his way to deliver donations from public collections in Cardiff and the Valleys, to Palestinian charities, nurseries, rehabilitation centres and hospitals in the West Bank.
On arrest he was strip searched and repeatedly interrogated by six military police. The toys he was bringing for Palestinian children were unwrapped and taken apart, as were the rest of his bags, and he was questioned until 3am. He was then further interrogated by two Ministry of Interior officers and then escorted to police cells in Ben Gurion airport.
Mr Davies is appealing against deportation on the grounds that he went to Israel and the Occupied Territories to deliver charitable aid, and had hoped to meet up with Jill Evans, MEP, who is also in the region. It is expected that he will be transferred to a police station in Tel Aviv if his appeal succeeds.
Mr Davies is on his fifth peace mission to Palestine where he expected to join other non-violent human rights activists from all over the world who will accompany the olive farmers, and assist them in accessing their land. The activists act as witnesses and observers should any violence take place between settlers and soldiers.
He was also expecting to visit refugee camps in Nablus, Gaza and Jabalya, where many Palestinians have been killed and injured in recent months. Here, as on previous visits, he was to act as an escort to ambulances, for children going to school and for pregnant women trying to reach clinics.
Last year councillor Davies received bullet wounds to the head whilst trying to help injured Palestinian youths to hospital.
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