The Israeli Authorities at the Allenby Bridge, between Jordan and Palestine, prevented professor Noam Chomsky from entering the Palestinian territories after detaining him for five hours, and deported him to Jordan.Palestinian Legislator, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, stated that the decision to deny Chomsky entry to Palestine was made by the highest authorities in Israel, and the Israeli Interior Ministry, for his legitimate stances and for intending to speak at the Bir Zeit University in Ramallah.
Dr. Barghouthi added that this decision proves Israel’s racist nature that targets intellectuals like Chomsky.
Chomsky intended to hold a meeting with Barghouthi, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, and was scheduled to give a lecture at Bir Zeit University, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, on Monday.
The BBC reported that Chomsky said that he was denied entry as the Israeli government did not like “the kind of things he says”, and the fact that he was speaking at a Palestinian University without speaking at an Israeli University.
Dr. Barghouthi said that he intended to tour with Professor Chomsky in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip “as Chomsky intended to observe the racist Israeli policies and its ongoing illegal settlement activities, in addition to the continued construction of the illegal Annexation Wall”.
Several Zionist groups in the United States are holding incitement campaigns against Professor Chomsky for his stances supporting human rights and justice, and repeatedly described him as a “self-hating Jew” and an “anti-Semite”.
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