A delegation from the European Parliament canceled a mission in the Palestinian territories on Sunday after the chairman of the delegation, Spanish communist MEP Manu Pineda, was denied entry to Israel, DPA reports.
“Israel is blocking the work of the European Parliament,” said Pineda, who shared the decision of the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Twitter. He added that the delegation had been denied access to the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Palestinian movement Hamas.
The letter from Israeli diplomacy indicates that Manu Pineda’s entry was not approved due to “information received from the competent Israeli authorities.”
The Spanish MEP was to travel to the Palestinian territories with a group of colleagues in the European Parliament to analyze the situation on the ground after the death of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who worked for the Pan-Arab television station Al-Jazeera.
Akleh was recently killed while reporting on an Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank. Palestinians say Israel is guilty of killing the journalist.
MEP Grace O’Sullivan said the Israeli decision was “an unprecedented move” and that the delegation would call for a firm response from European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
The European Parliament delegation for Palestinian relations has 18 members and, among other things, informs the EU legislature about political, economic and human rights developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
