I was in Israel about a month ago and one of the first things you are asked at the airport before getting through border control is the purpose of your visit. It's a very standard question for any country to ask. If you say "I'm here to cause trouble, give support to your enemies and denounce your very right to exist" I'm pretty sure you'd be turned back. So in effect, they were just saving American taxpayers the cost of a pointless trip....
You mean AFTER the long walk across the tarmac? No jetways in that country.
I went thru Tel Aviv on my way to the Sinai, official passport and all. Got a long interrogation in a private room, they had a file on me. I didnt tell her crap, made her work for awhile. She kept telling me I wasnt clearing until I answered her questions. She finally told me what my previous assignment in the Army was and why I was going to Egypt. I told her if she had all the answers, she just wasted a bunch of our time getting nothing from me. She finally told me it was just routing questioning, especially since they knew I was military. I really knew she was looking for me to tell her something she didnt know.
I dont blame them for being careful about who they let in.
