JERUSALEM—Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri announced Tuesday evening that he had instructed authorities to stop the mayor of Dublin, who was scheduled to land in Ben Gurion Airport during the night, from entering Israel.
The mayor, Mícheal Mac Donncha, who is a member of the leftist Sinn Fein party and a long-standing activist in the anti-Israel BDS (Boycott,Disinvestment,Sanctions) movement, was scheduled to pass through Israel on his way to Ramallah to be hosted by the Palestinian Authority.
Deri justified his decision by the fact that the the mayor ‘’acts in any way possible against Israel.’’ ‘’He initiated condemnations against us and yesterday he led a resolution to expel our ambassador in Ireland. Now, he wants to enter PA territory in order to continue to incite and harm Israel,’’ he added.
‘’I instructed that he be prevented from entering so that he cannot harm the state. I will continued to use my authority against anyone who tries to harm the State of Israel, including senior public officials.”
But soon after Deri’s announcement, the mayor tweeted that he was already in Ramallah.
An Interior Ministry spokesman revealed that border control officials had failed to stop him, because the order had apparently spelled his name wrong.
A day before, the Dublin City Council adopted a resolution clling for the expulsion of Israel’s ambassador for the deaths of Palestinians during the ‘’March of Return’’ violent demonstrations near the border with Gaza. The resolution has has no practical consequence, but is purely declarative.
Last year the Council flew the Palestinian flag over its building for a month.