Israel has refused entry to a member of the European Parliament. The Spanish MP Manu Pineda, who wanted to head a parliamentary delegation to Israel and the Palestinian territories, said he was not given an entry permit on Sunday. The Israeli Foreign Ministry justified this with “information from the responsible authorities in Israel”, which were not explained in detail. The entire delegation of 18 MPs then canceled the planned trip.
The left-wing MEP complained on Twitter: “Israel is blocking the work of the European Parliament”. The group was also not allowed to go to the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian territory on the Mediterranean Sea. Pineda and other MPs also wanted to find out about the situation after the death of a reporter from the Al-Jazeera TV station, who was shot dead during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank.
In 2018, Israel decided to refuse entry to activists from certain organizations calling for a boycott of Israel. The Jerusalem Post newspaper reported on Sunday that Pineda had previously worked in the Gaza Strip for an organization that advocates a boycott of Israel. The Spaniard also met the head of Hamas, Ismail Hanija. The EU, USA and Israel classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.
