The Palestinian government denounces the rescission of the permit to enter Israel to its Foreign Minister

8 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Palestinian government has denounced that Israel has rescinded the foreign minister, Riad al Maliki’s, entry permit into the country, the fourth restriction on a Palestinian political official that has been recorded in the last few hours.

Al Maliki has returned this Sunday from his stay in Brazil after attending the inauguration of President Lula da Silva. During the journey, he was informed of the withdrawal of his special permit, which grants him freedom to move around the occupied territories and facilitates his entry into Israel.

“The Israeli occupation authorities carried out their decision to withdraw the so-called ‘VIP card’ without taking into account their position and legal capacity,” lamented the Palestinian Foreign Ministry in a statement collected by the Maan agency.

Hours earlier, the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, announced the withdrawal of permission for three senior Palestinian Authority officials who visited a historic prisoner recently released this week after serving 40 years in jail for murdering a Jewish soldier.

The ban was directed against the governor of Nablus, Mahmud al Alul, the former ambassador to Iraq Azam al Ahmad and the former acting president of the Palestinian Authority Raui Fattu, who met last Thursday in northern Israel with Karim Yunis.

Al Maliki’s adviser, Ahmed al Dik, has criticized this “arbitrary” measure as “a flagrant violation of international law and of the agreements and understandings signed between the Israeli and Palestinian parties.”

“Facilitating movement to Palestinian officials is not a privilege that an occupying power can grant, but part of their obligations as such,” he denounced.

“These measures targeting the Palestinian leadership, the Palestinian National Authority and all of our people will not deter the Palestinian leadership or the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates,” it adds.