RAMALLAH: Israeli authorities confiscated the VIP border pass of Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki upon his return to the West Bank from a meeting at the International Criminal Court, a Palestinian official said on Sunday.
Ahmed Al-Deek, an official at Maliki’s office, told Reuters the Israeli move was linked to Maliki’s meeting with ICC lead prosecutor Fatou Bensouda at her office in The Hague on Thursday.
Israel’s Walla news website cited unnamed Israeli officials who said Maliki’s ICC visit was the reason for the revocation of his VIP card, an Israeli-granted pass that enables dozens of senior Palestinian officials to move freely through border crossings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment and the Israeli foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
“This is the Foreign Minister of the State of Palestine. He doesn’t represent himself. He represents the State of Palestine, and we regard this as an attack against the State of Palestine,” said Deek.
He added that Israeli officers detained and questioned Maliki’s aides for 90 minutes at the Israeli-operated border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank.
Deek said that the minister left the crossing without the card. It was not clear when it would be returned to him.
Bensouda announced this month she would formally investigate war crimes in the Palestinian Territories, a move welcomed by the Palestinian Authority and denounced by Israel.
On Friday, ICC prosecutors said they have sent Israel and the Palestinians notifications of the opening of a war crimes probe, a move that leaves the parties with one month to seek a deferral.
Maliki’s office said on Thursday that he met with Bensouda to urge that the investigations be accelerated.
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Israel takes Palestinian minister’s VIP pass over ICC meeting: Palestinians
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Israel takes Palestinian minister’s VIP pass over ICC meeting: Palestinians
- “We regard this as an attack against the State of Palestine,” an official at Maliki’s office said
- He added that Israeli officers detained and questioned Maliki’s aides for 90 minutes at the Israeli-operated border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank
Israel warns will suspend several aid groups from Gaza
- Ministry says organizations that failed to submit list of Palestinian employees have been told their licenses will be revoked from January 1
JERUSALEM: Israel warned on Tuesday that it would suspend from January several aid organizations operating in Gaza for failing to provide details about their Palestinian staff, accusing two Doctors Without Borders employees of links to militant groups.
The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement the move was part of Israel’s decision to “strengthen and update” regulations governing the activities of international NGOs in the Palestinian territory.
“Humanitarian organizations that fail to meet security and transparency requirements will have their licenses suspended,” the ministry said.
It added that organizations which “failed to cooperate and refused to submit a list of their Palestinian employees in order to rule out any links to terrorism” had received formal notice that their licenses would be revoked as of January 1.
The organizations concerned — whose names were not disclosed — were ordered to cease all activities by March 1.
The ministry said the groups were given 10 months to provide the requested information but “nonetheless failed to comply with the requirements.”
The ministry told AFP earlier this month that as of November 25, approximately 100 registration requests had been submitted and “only 14 organization requests have been rejected.”
“The remainder have been approved or are currently under review,” it added.
In its statement on Tuesday, the ministry alleged after an investigation that the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) had employed two individuals with links to Palestinian militant groups.
“In June 2024, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad was identified as an employee of the organization,” it said.
“In September 2024, another MSF employee was identified as a Hamas sniper.
“Despite repeated requests, the organization did not provide full disclosure regarding the identities and roles of these individuals,” the statement added.
When contacted, MSF said it “would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity.”
“Any employee who engages in military activity would pose a danger to our staff and our patients.”
The ministry’s statement did not say whether MSF’s license had been revoked.
“In terms of registration, MSF continues to engage and discuss with Israeli authorities,” the charity said. “We have not yet received a decision on re-registration.”
The ministry said its latest measures would not affect the delivery of aid to Gaza.
“Only a limited number of organizations — less than 15 percent — were found to be in violation of the regulatory framework,” it said.
Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza.
The amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate.
While the October 10 ceasefire agreement stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.
The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement the move was part of Israel’s decision to “strengthen and update” regulations governing the activities of international NGOs in the Palestinian territory.
“Humanitarian organizations that fail to meet security and transparency requirements will have their licenses suspended,” the ministry said.
It added that organizations which “failed to cooperate and refused to submit a list of their Palestinian employees in order to rule out any links to terrorism” had received formal notice that their licenses would be revoked as of January 1.
The organizations concerned — whose names were not disclosed — were ordered to cease all activities by March 1.
The ministry said the groups were given 10 months to provide the requested information but “nonetheless failed to comply with the requirements.”
The ministry told AFP earlier this month that as of November 25, approximately 100 registration requests had been submitted and “only 14 organization requests have been rejected.”
“The remainder have been approved or are currently under review,” it added.
In its statement on Tuesday, the ministry alleged after an investigation that the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) had employed two individuals with links to Palestinian militant groups.
“In June 2024, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad was identified as an employee of the organization,” it said.
“In September 2024, another MSF employee was identified as a Hamas sniper.
“Despite repeated requests, the organization did not provide full disclosure regarding the identities and roles of these individuals,” the statement added.
When contacted, MSF said it “would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity.”
“Any employee who engages in military activity would pose a danger to our staff and our patients.”
The ministry’s statement did not say whether MSF’s license had been revoked.
“In terms of registration, MSF continues to engage and discuss with Israeli authorities,” the charity said. “We have not yet received a decision on re-registration.”
The ministry said its latest measures would not affect the delivery of aid to Gaza.
“Only a limited number of organizations — less than 15 percent — were found to be in violation of the regulatory framework,” it said.
Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza.
The amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate.
While the October 10 ceasefire agreement stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.
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