24.04.2015 00:18
News
A South African minister said Thursday that Israeli authorities had refused to give him an entry visa into the state of Palestine.
Blade Nzimande, South Africa`s Higher Education Minister, said in a joint statement with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki that that Israeli authorities turned down his request to visit the Palestinian territories, even as he had completed the necessary procedures.
Al-Maliki and Nzimande met Thursday in Indonesian capital Jakarta on the sidelines of the Asian-African summit.
Nzimande was scheduled to visit Palestine in the period between April 25 and 28.
He said Israel had prevented him from paying the visit to punish his South African Communist Party for its "ethical" stance toward the Palestinian people and its struggle for freedom, justice and independence.
Al-Maliki, meanwhile, lashed out at Israel for preventing the South African minister from visiting Palestine.
He said Nzimande`s visit had been scheduled since last year.
"Israel`s policies would not succeed in isolating the Palestinians," al-Maliki said in the statement, released by state Wafa news agency based in Ramallah.
"It will only embolden them into more struggle for ending Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories," he added.
www.aa.com.tr/en - Ramallah