A prominent Jewish-American commentator who has been critical of Israel’s policies said on Monday that he was detained by Israeli airport authorities and interrogated about his political views before he was allowed to enter the country.
Peter Beinart, a contributor to The Atlantic , CNN and the Israeli daily Haaretz , considers himself a supporter of Israel, but has been an outspoken critic of the government’s hard-line policies toward the Palestinians.
In an interview, Mr. Beinart said he was pulled aside when he arrived with his family on Sunday to attend a relative’s bar mitzvah. Mr. Beinart said he was sent to a small room where a security official asked about his political activities.
He said he was then asked about his participation in a nonviolent West Bank protest two years ago. He said the interview ended after he said he would not be joining any protests on his current visit. He was released after calling a well-known Israeli human rights lawyer. In all, he said he was held for over an hour.
