Lord mayor of Dublin gets into Israel, despite being denied for being Anti Zionist

THE lord mayor of Dublin has ruffled feathers in Israel after he managed to get inside the country despite being banned from entering it — exposing an administrative blunder.

Israel’s interior ministry said on Tuesday that Mícheál Mac Donncha would not be allowed to enter the country due to his links to a pro-Palestinian group, the BBC reported. His name was put on a travel watch list.

But shortly after officials made their threat, Cr Mac Donncha tweeted that he was actually already in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, after flying into Tel Aviv airport to attend a conference.

It has emerged the Sinn Fein councillor was able to slip past airport security because his name had been spelled incorrectly on the travel watch list.

“The Israeli strategic affairs minister did allow me in,” Cr Mac Donncha told Ireland’s Newstalk Breakfast.

“He said the problem was someone spelling my name wrong.”

It has been reported officials mistakenly thought the mayor’s full Irish title — Ardmhéara Micheál Mac Donncha — was his full name. That does not match his actual first name, which is on his passport.

A spokesperson for Tel Aviv airport was quoted by the BBC as saying: “We made a mistake at the border crossing.”


Israel’s Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said the mayor would be given a letter when he left the country, informing him he would not be allowed to return.

Mr Mac Donncha came to the attention of the interior ministry because of his connection to the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, a pro-Palestine group that supports a complete boycott of Israel. The group was among 20 black-listed by Israel in January.

The mayor was in the West Bank to attend a conference on the status and future of Jerusalem.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/man-banned-from-israel-gets-in-anyway-thanks-to-typo/news-story/edd79218e09d5ffa002eaa1ea0e59bb5