Activists say they couldn't enter Israel

Israel barred about 100 members of a pro-Palestinian group from entering the country from Jordan at the Allenby Bridge border crossing, the activists said. "We were on two buses. They [Israeli checkpoint officers] took all passports and stamped 'rejected' for everyone, without questioning or even inspecting the things we have. They did not even allow the second bus to reach the checkpoint. They sent them back immediately," Olivia Zemor, one of the organizers of the Welcome to Palestine campaign, told The Jordan Times Sunday. No comment was reported from Israeli officials. The bridge over the Jordan River connects Jordan with the West Bank. It was the third time members of the Welcome to Palestine group have attempted to enter Israel, their Web site said. In April this year and July 2011 they flew to Israel's Ben Gurion airport and were also denied entry, the site said. "The upcoming campaign is part of a larger attempt to raise awareness about Israel's policies regarding control of entry into the occupied territories," the Web site said referring to Sunday's attempt. "The Welcome to Palestine campaign highlights one of the great shortfalls of the Oslo Accords, which gave Israel ultimate control of Palestinian borders," the site said. The activists who attempted to enter Israel from Jordan are from Europe and the United States.