RAMALLAH: Fearing repetition of Israel’s ongoing practice of arbitrarily denying entry to foreign nationals trying to enter the occupied Palestinian territory, the Campaign for the Right to Enter the Occupied Palestinian Territory has made an open appeal to the Israeli government not to deny entry to Pope Benedict XVI to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip.
In light of the hundreds of cases of foreign passport holders who have been turned back at ports of entry under Israel’s control while trying to reach their place of work, their families or their churches, representatives of the campaign remain concerned by Israel’s continued failure to provide a clear, transparent and lawful policy regarding who can enter the occupied Palestinian territory.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority has scrapped plans to receive the pope on a stage next to Israel’s West Bank separation wall, a Palestinian lawmaker said yesterday.
Officials in the Aida refugee camp hoped that the spot, next to a guard post and a towering concrete section of the wall, would highlight Palestinian suffering under the Israeli occupation.
Palestinian lawmaker Essa Qaraqie said the committee organizing the West Bank portion of the visit moved the location to a United Nations school inside the camp “after huge Israeli pressure.” The pope’s convoy will still pass next to the wall, which can be seen from inside the school courtyard, Qaraqie said.
