U.S. student Lara Alqasem was denied entry into Israel in October 2018. Image by Getty Images

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Thousands of potential visitors to Israel were turned away in 2018 when they reached the country.

Of the about 4 million visitors to Israel in 2018, nearly 19,000 were turned away by immigration staff when they reached an entry point over concerns that they would commit criminal or security crimes in the country, the business daily Globes reported, citing statistics from the Population and Immigration Authority.

Some 16,534 people were turned away in 2016 and 1,870 were refused entry in 2011, according to the report.

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Staff from the Population and Immigration Authority are stationed at Israel’s airports and other entry points and are empowered to refuse to allow a foreign visitor to enter.

They use information in the potential visitor’s background and, now, information from social media to help determine whether someone can enter the country.

The report said that tourists from eastern European countries often are scrutinized more because they are more likely coming to work illegally in the country and sometimes to immigrate.

Those trying to enter at land border points are simply turned back. At Ben Gurion Airport they are held in a detention center until they can be put on a plane home.

Tourists that are denied entry can appeal the decision.

This year several activists from the United States urging a boycott against Israel were turned away. One of them, Lara Alqasem, who arrived to attend a one-year program at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, successfully appealed the decision after spending two weeks in detention at the airport.

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