Israel Refuses Belgian Minister to Enter Gaza Strip

Gaza, MINA – Israel has refused to give Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation Meryame Kitir permission to enter the Gaza Strip, Belgian media reported on Tuesday.

The Israeli government “made it clear that they are not allowing any political visits to Gaza at this time,” Kitir’s cabinet said, according to RTBF as quoted by Anadolu Agency.

Kitir, who visited Palestine this week, was supposed to visit the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to see a waste management project supported by Belgium through the United Nations Development Programme.

Instead, Kitir will travel to Bethlehem to see other collaborative projects.

According to the Brussels Times, Kitir’s decision to only visit the Palestinian territories may be the reason Israel refused him entry to Gaza, because by choosing not to visit Israeli territory, Kirit violated an unwritten rule in the Belgian diplomatic tradition of visiting both sides.

In 2010, former Development Minister Charles Michel was also denied access to the Gaza Strip.

Israel only allowed access to then-Secretary of State Didier Reynders in 2016 and barred the entry of other foreign ministers in subsequent years. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)