No: 186, 26 June 2015

We condemn the fact that 9 Turkish citizens, 5 of whom were members of non-governmental organizations and 4 were press members, were detained in Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on 25 June by Israeli security forces and interrogated for 9 hours where they had arrived with Turkish Airlines (THY) with a view to attending a Ramadan iftar dinner programme in Jerusalem; and that 7 Turkish citizens, except for 2 TRT (Turkish Radio and Television) members, were sent back.

It is unacceptable that the Israeli officials detained for hours the Turkish citizens at the airport despite all initiatives of our Ministry and Turkish Embassy to Israel, and they did not allow their entry into the country although they had valid visas without offering any satisfactory explanation regarding their attitude.

Chargé d’affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Ankara is summoned to the Ministry to convey our reaction to this treatment faced by Turkish citizens and our expectation to receive an explanation.