GAZA CITY: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair s sister-in-law said on Wednesday she is trapped in Gaza because Israel refuses to let her leave the Palestinian territory she entered aboard a protest boat.
They have made it clear I won t be admitted to Israel, said Lauren Booth, a British journalist and pro-Palestinian campaigner.
Israeli authorities have rejected Booth s request to leave the Gaza Strip, arguing she did not enter legally when she and another 43 pro-Palestinian activists traveled by boat to the impoverished coastal strip in defiance of an Israeli blockade.
This is a real Palestinian experience of being between the devil and the deep blue sea, Booth told AFP.
Booth asked over the weekend for authorization to leave Gaza through the Erez crossing with Israel. She was also prevented from crossing into Egypt through the Rafah crossing.
Her request presented at the end of last week was rejected because anyone who does not enter officially cannot leave officially, said Gil Kari, spokesman for the Israeli military office in charge of liaison with Gaza.
Israel controls air and sea access to Gaza, where it imposed a crippling blockade after Hamas seized power in the territory in June 2007.
I d actually like to say thank you very much to the Israeli authorities at Erez for giving me this fantastic chance to feel just exactly what it is like to be inside what is effectively the world s largest internment camp, where individuals who should have the right to travel under international law are withheld in a 40 km by 10 km camp, Booth told the BBC.
She said consular staff were seeking to help her get out of the Palestinian coastal enclave.
An Irish, an Australian and a US national also were prevented from leaving the Gaza Strip.
Most of the campaigners who had sailed to Gaza aboard two boats on Aug. 23 returned to Cyprus five days later, although nine, including Booth remained in the Palestinian territory.
Jeff Halper, the only Israeli in the group, was held overnight by police upon his return to Israel through the Erez on Aug. 26.
Booth s brother-in-law Tony Blair is currently on a week-long visit to Israel in his capacity as representative of the Middle East peace Quartet, which comprises the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States. -AFP
