Hussein Al-Sheikh, Minster of Palestinian Civil Affairs, called upon the Israeli government to allow the return of more Palestinians to the West Bank.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he was granting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' request to allow 300 Palestinian refugees from Libya to enter the Palestinian territories.

“Because of the current violence in Libya I received a personal request from President Abbas ... that Israel allow a number of Palestinians to leave Libya and to enter the West Bank,” Netanyahu said.

Al-Sheikh told Voice of Palestine radio “the Israeli government’s decision to allow the return of the 300 is welcomed, though it is insufficient.”

The number of Palestinian refugees in Libya is estimated at 20,000.

“Israeli approval must be an initial step that would be followed with more steps. The life of Palestinians there is endangered,” Al-Sheikh added.

“The majority of Palestinian community in Libya do not hold Palestinian ID cards (which would enable them to return to Palestinian territories).”

Al-Sheikh said the PA is contacting Arab and Western governments to evacuate more Palestinians from Libya.

He said that the 300 Palestinians allowed to return would be evacuated through Tunisia and Egypt, to settle either in the West Bank or Gaza.

Israel rejects the idea of right of return to Israel, saying that in any future peace solution the Palestinian refugees would only return to their independent state, which will be established in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.