A Glasgow pro-Palestine campaigner was detained at Tel Aviv Airport and held for more than 24 hours before being deported back to Britain.
Andy Murray, convenor of the SNP Friends of Palestine group, was held for hours, questioned, had phones and laptop confiscated, his luggage and body scanned for traces of explosives and put in a cell overnight with three other men.
Mr Murray from the west end of Glasgow said he is certain he was picked out because of his campaigning and after a meeting with Israeli Embassy staff from London at the SNP Conference in Aberdeen last month.
He was told he would be held for five days and sent home on his scheduled flight which was due today and was only released after MP Carol Monaghan asked the Foreign Office to intervene.
Mr Murray, a married father of two, said: “We had a stall at the SNP conference and had a conversation with political staff from the Israeli Embassy who took my card.
“As soon as I arrived at Tel Aviv airport and had my passport scanned I was told security wanted to see me.
“It turned out they had a file on me. They took my phone and computer and breached the security settings to access details on it.”
Mr Murray said while he was dealt with compassionately and was not mistreated he was insulted and felt intimidated during the ordeal.
He said: “I asked to be allowed to speak to the British Embassy and was told ‘You have no rights in this country. Look out the window, do you see Big Ben? ‘”
He said he was not given any full explanation why he was singled out and detained.
He said the officers described to him as security services wanted to know who he knew in Israel and wanted to go through his phone contacts.
He was allowed to call his wife in Glasgow, who contacted Carol Monaghan who immediately informed the Foreign Office and asked them to intervene.
Mr Murray was detained on Monday morning and held in the airport until 10 pm then transferred to a detention centre and locked in a cell overnight before he was finally released and send on a flight to Luton before heading back to Glasgow on Tuesday night.
The fact finding trip to Palestine and Jerusalem trip was originally meant to include several SNP and Labour MPs including Ms Monaghan who all had to cancel due to business in Parliament.
Mr Murray said he is certain had the MPs been on the trip he would not have been detained.
Ms Monaghan said: “Israel is an ally of the UK and for a UK citizen to be treated in this way is abysmal.
“Andy Murray is a pro Palestine campaigner but not anti-Israel.
"I will be writing to the Foreign Secretary about this.”
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