The Israeli occupation authorities prevented a special delegation from the European Parliament from reaching the Palestinian territories, which was scheduled to discuss several issues, including the assassination of Al-Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh.

The special European delegation was forced to cancel its visit to the Palestinian territories after its president, Manu Pineda, was prevented from entering Jerusalem, and the entire delegation was prevented from entering the Gaza Strip.

European Parliament President Roberta Mezzola, who started a visit to Israel on Sunday, expressed her regret at the Israeli authorities' refusal to allow entry to the head of the special delegation, Manu Pineda, and confirmed that she would raise the issue with the relevant authorities during her visit to Israel.

Mitsola stressed - in a tweet on Twitter - that respect for the European Parliament and its members is "essential for good relations."

I regret the decision to refuse entry to Israel to @ManuPineda, the Chair of the @Europarl_EN Delegation for relations with Palestine. 

I will raise the issue directly with authorities concerned. 

Respect for MEPs and the European Parliament is essential for good relations.

— Roberta Mitsola (@EP_President) May 22, 2022

Representative Grace O'Sullivan, a member of the European delegation, who was on her way to the Palestinian territories, said she expected European countries to put pressure on Israel to allow them to enter Jerusalem.

O'Sullivan explained - in an interview with Al Jazeera - that the delegation was supposed to enter Jerusalem on Sunday, and she continued, "Our goal was to meet civil society and officials from the European Union inside Palestine, and to meet Palestinian officials as well, so we had a full week of activities."

"But we learned last week that we were prevented and we were not given permission to enter Gaza, it was disappointing, and we were not allowed to go and talk to people in Ramallah, Bethlehem and other areas," the European MP added.

war crime

The United Nations Special Rapporteur in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, also condemned the Israeli obstacles to its entry into the Palestinian territories, and called for an investigation into the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh.

Albanese said - in statements to Al Jazeera - that the killing of Sherine Abu Akleh amounts to a "war crime", stressing that there is increasing pressure on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to investigate the crime.

The UN rapporteur noted that Israel has a long record of refraining from conducting independent investigations.

With regard to preventing the European delegation from entering Jerusalem, Albanese said that measures should be taken against Israel if it continues to prevent the delegation from entering.


And Albanese had stated - in an interview with an Italian website - that Israel's failure to open an investigation into the killing of Shirin Abu Akleh was not surprising.

And she believed that the international community that has allowed Israel over the past decades to get away with it for the crimes it commits against the Palestinians bears the responsibility for this.

The UN rapporteur called for the dismantling of what she called the "apartheid regime" imposed by Israel on the Palestinians, stressing the need for real political will to implement international law "like the one we see currently in Ukraine," as she put it.

On the other hand, the US State Department said that it is ready to provide assistance to the Palestinians and Israelis in carrying out an investigation into the assassination of Al-Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, the regional spokesman for the US State Department, Samuel Warburg, renewed the call for a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh.

But he stated that Washington has not yet received a request from either the Palestinian or Israeli sides to provide assistance in the investigations.

And the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said - in a press interview - that it was necessary to conduct a comprehensive and credible investigation into the assassination of Al-Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh.

In response to a question about the possible consequences if the Israeli army was proven responsible for the killing of Shirin Abu Akleh, Blinken said - in a press interview with Vice News - that he would not go into assumptions, and stressed the need to hold accountable those responsible for the killing of colleague Shireen Abu Akle. sane.