CONT’D: I landed in TLV yesterday. People usually are allowed to scan their passport and get their visas. But of course, this doesn’t work for most Palestinians. I scanned my passport and I was told I had to go to Border Control. I went to Border Control. They took my passport and I was told to have a seat. Then an officer came and I was escorted to wait in a seating area with other passengers. When I got there, there were 13 people, 8 of them Palestinian.

I was denied boarding on @EL_AL_ISRAEL because they claimed that I was a “security risk.” Here is a glimpse of what it’s like to travel to Israel as a Palestinian, even if you’re an American. It all started when I went to go drop off my bags at the counter at EWR. Before the counter, I stopped at the Israeli security post. I was questioned about where I was traveling, why, etc. Pretty standard stuff. Then the “person in charge” told me that I wasn’t allowed to take any luggage with me on the plane, not even my backpack.