Lieberman Blocks Israeli Pro-peace Group From Visiting Ramallah

The background for the refusal was the group's intention of meeting a Palestinian official barred from Israel for 'embarking on subversive activity within Israeli society that included an attempt to establish political parties.'

Gili Cohen and Amos Harel Jul 12, 2016

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has blocked members of the Geneva Initiative from entering Ramallah because they planned to meet with senior Fatah official Mohammed al-Madani, whose permit to enter Israel was revoked by Lieberman last month.

Preparations for the meeting began two weeks ago, when the group members contacted the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command to confirm a meeting in Ramallah that had been scheduled for Tuesday. The Israeli delegation, which included initiative cofounder Yossi Beilin, three branch heads and members of the Likud Central Committee, planned to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Madani, who is chairman of the Palestinian committee for interaction with Israeli society.

The military, however, refused to let the visit proceed, saying the security situation did not allow for Israelis to enter Ramallah. The initiative representatives offered to reduce the number of people in the delegation or to get accompaniment from Abbas’ Presidential Guard, but the army’s response remained negative.

Although the military refused on security grounds, members of the Geneva Initiative, as well as representatives of other groups, have been permitted to visit Ramallah numerous times since the latest terror wave began last October. Channel 10 reported that the background for the refusal was Lieberman’s barring of Madani from Israel for “embarking on subversive activity within Israeli society that included an attempt to establish political parties.”

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