Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. With regard to the timeframe, our officials were in contact immediately after this happened and, as I said, are in constant communication with the relevant authorities. It is currently a Jewish holiday, and while that may delay things, we would expect to have a response as quickly as possible.

While the deportation of pro-Palestinian activists from Israel is not uncommon, the Department has noted a marked increase recently in the exclusion of international activists or NGO workers. This case is very notable in that the persons concerned may have been excluded not on the base of the actions they undertook but because of a political view they may have espoused at home. That is something we have to consider carefully.

As I stated, if the individuals were to apply to return to Israel, they would most likely be excluded again. We need to observe the effects of these issues and the more aggressive policy on deportations. We are awaiting a response from the ambassador and will have to see what action can be taken following that.

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