Israeli authorities block U.K. minister’s visit to Palestinian village

Israeli foreign ministry cited security concerns as the reason for blocking the visit, suggesting that certain locations could instigate violence

LONDON – Israeli officials prevented British and other European ministers from visiting the recently deserted Palestinian village of Ein Samiya in the West Bank.

British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs James Cleverly was intended to inspect areas that the U.K. had invested in, including an elementary school that was destroyed following heightened settler attacks.

Post these attacks, more than 170 residents abandoned their homes.

The Israeli foreign ministry cited security concerns as the reason for blocking the visit, suggesting that certain locations could instigate violence.

While ministers were granted access to other places like Ramallah, entry into areas like Ein Samiya was seen as risky.

Although Cleverly did not comment on this restriction upon his return to the U.K., he did meet with representatives from Ein Samiya in Ramallah.

Some residents expressed skepticism about any real outcomes from this interaction.

This incident is not the first of its kind, as Israeli forces have frequently barred foreign officials from visiting Ein Samiya.

Earlier in the year, while some international delegations, predominantly ambassadors, had been granted access, the Israeli army began stopping official visits subsequently.

Chris Doyle, from the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CABU), critiqued Cleverly for not publicizing these restrictions.

Similarly, Sarit Michaeli of the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem labeled the security reasons given by Israel as inadequate.

In related events, over 500 Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, accompanied by Israeli police, marking the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.