Israel Rejects Nabil Fahmy's Visit to Palestine and Meeting with President Abbas

SadaNews - The Israeli occupation authorities have refused to allow the completion of the visit of the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil Fahmy, to the Palestinian territories, which was scheduled for (today) Wednesday.

The spokesman for the Secretary-General stated in a press release that "the Palestinian authorities have informed the Secretary-General's office of the Israeli occupation authorities' rejection of a visit that the Secretary-General of the league intended to make to the occupied Palestinian territories on Wednesday, July 8, to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people".

Fahmy was scheduled to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. According to the spokesman, the Secretary-General chose Palestine as his first foreign stop, considering the centrality of the Palestinian cause, affirming that it "will remain at the top of the priorities of the Arab world".

He added: "Palestinians are suffering from a siege within their towns and cities, surrounded by increasingly encroaching settlements, and by roads exclusively used by settlers, and are exposed at any moment to the brutality and terrorism of reckless settlers who enjoy the protection of the occupying state, often with its encouragement".

The statement emphasized the "necessity of holding Israel accountable for its continued violations against Palestinians, pointing out that defending the two-state solution requires actual and continuous movements from all supporting countries for a just peace to expose the practices of the occupation and to strengthen the steadfastness of the Palestinian people who are facing unprecedented repression and escalating and savage violence".

Fahmy had taken up his duties as Secretary-General of the Arab League on July 1.