The key facts

  • Scottish businesswoman Yasmin Ferrigan was detained at Ben Gurion Airport on Friday and deported
  • According to her, she was accused of supporting Hamas and of membership in Palestine Action
  • She was travelling to meet Palestinian partners of the Hadeel shop to develop trade ties

Detention and deportation

Scottish businesswoman Yasmin Ferrigan said she was detained by Israeli authorities and deported after being denied entry, Anadolu reports, citing the Scottish newspaper The National. Ferrigan, who runs Hadeel, an Edinburgh shop selling Palestinian Fairtrade goods, arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on Friday. The purpose of the trip was a visit to Palestinian partners who sell goods through Hadeel, in order to assess the situation on the ground, find new producers and build supply chains.

Accusations and Ferrigan's words

According to Ferrigan, she was interrogated for at least five hours at the immigration detention centre. She called what happened the worst experience of her life and said she was accused of supporting Hamas and of membership in Palestine Action. According to her, she was also told that she should have been arrested long ago, that she 'should not exist', that she should be 'eliminated' and that she was being watched. Ferrigan is a native of South Africa who has lived in Scotland for the past 25 years.

Motives for the trip

Ferrigan said that what was happening was 'the systematic destruction and undermining of the Palestinian economy', and that the authorities knew the purpose of her trip as an employee of Hadeel to trade with Palestinian communities in the occupied territories, but still denied her entry. The Israeli side, according to the publication, did not comment.