Irish Foreign Minister, Michael Martin, Denied Visit to Gaza by the Israeli Occupation Government

Report: Israel denies Irish FM Gaza access

Published yesterday (updated) 05/12/2009 10:08

Bethlehem - Ma'an -

The Israeli occupation government refused a request by Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin to visit the Gaza Strip, The Irish Times reported on Friday.

The newspaper said Martin told a parliamentary committee on European affairs that he hoped to visit the besieged coastal enclave to study the humanitarian situation there, but his request was rejected by Israel.

Several other ministers on the Europe committee were also denied permission to enter Gaza, the newspaper quoted them as saying, adding that committee chairman Bernard Durkan called the refusal "intolerable."

"That an Irish foreign minister is not permitted to visit a region to assess a humanitarian situation is almost without precedent and is tantamount to censorship," Durkan said.

He described the continuing blockade of the territory by Israel as "utterly unjustified" and said it is "exacerbating" an already dire humanitarian crisis, the report added.

"Denying access only serves to give the impression that Israel is unwilling to let the outside world see the suffering which is going on," he added.

The minister had intended to visit next month, the report said.

European Union delegation

A nine-strong delegation of members of the European Parliament's committee for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council is scheduled to travel to the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip next month.

The delegation is expected to assess the main obstacles to the currently-stalled peace process, concentrating on settlements, evictions and house demolitions, Jerusalem's status and intra-Palestinian reconciliation.

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