Israel forbids European delegation from entering Gaza

Spanish MEP Iratxe Garcia Perez addresses a press conference after having been elected as head of the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, in Brussels on June 18, 2019. [ARIS OIKONOMOU/AFP via Getty Images]

Leader of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Iratxe Garcia disclosed on Tuesday that a delegation of MEPs was prevented from entering Gaza.

“Tomorrow is the 15th anniversary of the blockade [on Gaza] and we have asked to go to Gaza but were not allowed to,” Garcia announced in a press conference held in Ramallah.

Last week, Garcia said: “I am very worried about the constantly deteriorating situation on the ground in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.”

She added: “We want to show our support for the Palestinian people living under occupation. Beyond East Jerusalem and the West Bank, I would have also liked to visit Gaza on the 15th anniversary of the blockade, but access was once more denied.”

“We must continue our work to make sure that one day it will be the Palestinians who control their borders and to keep the hope alive for a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” Garcia expressed.

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