13 March 2016•Update: 14 March 2016
By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine
The Israeli authorities have prevented Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi from entering the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
In a statement, the ministry said Marsudi had planned to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki during a scheduled visit to Ramallah, which serves as the seat of both the Palestinian Authority and a shaky Palestinian unity government.
While in Ramallah, the ministry added, Jakarta’s top diplomat had also intended to open an Indonesian diplomatic mission in Palestine.
A source within the Palestinian Foreign Ministry told Anadolu Agency that Marsudi had been expected to arrive to Ramallah by helicopter from Jordanian capital Amman, but that Israel had refused to grant her permission to enter the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967.
According to Palestine’s official WAFA news agency, Palestinian FM al-Malki is now expected to travel to Amman to meet his Indonesian counterpart in recognition of "Indonesia’s longstanding support for Palestine".
The Israeli authorities, for their part, have yet to comment on the incident.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has not had formal diplomatic relations with Israel since the latter’s establishment in 1948.
