Israel denies entry of Belgian minister to Gaza Strip

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - Israel has refused to grant permission to Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation Meryame Kitir to enter the Gaza Strip, Belgian media reported Tuesday.

The Israeli government “made it clear that they do not authorize any political visits to Gaza at this time,” Kitir’s cabinet said, according to public broadcaster RTBF.

The minister, who is visiting Palestine this week, was supposed to visit the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to view a waste management project supported by Belgium through the UN Development Programme.

Instead, Kitir will travel to Bethlehem to observe other cooperation projects.

According to the Brussels Times news outlet, Kitir’s decision to only visit Palestinian territories may have played a role in her being denied entry to Gaza, since by choosing not to visit Israeli territories, she broke the Belgian diplomatic tradition’s unwritten rule of visiting both sides.

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

Israel only allowed access for then Foreign Affairs Minister Didier Reynders in 2016, while it forbade the entry of his colleagues in the following years.