Green Party Trade Union Group Statement on international campaigners arrested in Israel

I understand that Ann Gray from London Green Party and others were returning last night to Luton airport, having been deported from Israel for the gross crime of trying to enter the Palestinian Territories in the West Bank. Pippa Bartolotti from the Welsh Green Party is apparently still there. But I think that we will have a news update later today. Below is the statement from the Green Party Trade Union Group on the incident.

GPTU STATEMENT (Posted on http://gptublog.blogspot.com/)

The Green Party Trade Union Group fully supports the recent statements of Caroline Lucas , Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales (letter to William Hague), calling for the release of the international campaigners arrested and unjustly imprisoned by the Israeli government. We also want ALL these campaigners to be released and for them to be able to proceed to Palestine as they had intended, but we would like especially to send our solidarity and support to , Pippa Bartolotti, Deputy Leader of the Wales Green Party, and to Ann Gray of Haringey Green Party a supporter of GPTU and a member of Green Left.

Unjustified arrest is relatively mild by the standards of many of the actions that Israel has taken against Palestine, nonetheless it shows the contempt which the Israeli government seems to show for the human rights of Palestinians and their supporters, Pippa and Ann are quite right to take part in a protest against this and in no way deserve any unlawful punishment for doing so.

And here is an interview on Russian TV with Pippa Barolotti.