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| Britain |
| UK withholding diplomatic visa from incoming Palestinian envoy — Abbas |
| 2017-04-04 |
| [IsraelTimes] Britannia has so far refused to grant a diplomatic visa to the newly appointed Paleostinian Authority representative to the United Kingdom, PA President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... said on Monday. In an interview with the Pan-Arab daily al-Quds al-Arabi, Abbas admitted the UK had thus far held off on granting Maen Areikat, the former Paleostine Liberation Organization (PLO) representative in Washington, the same status as his predecessor in London Manuel Hassassian, in what appears to be a sign of ambivalence over Areikat’s diplomatic status. "We asked the British government to treat the new envoy as it had treated the previous ambassador. It should not change its treatment as that would mean bad will and misconduct from Britannia, and we will have a position and reaction to that," Abbas said, after being asked if it was true that Areikat had not been given the sought-after documentation. When asked if he knew the British were attempting to reduce the diplomatic standing of the PA’s envoy to London, Abbas responded: "The British are trying to scale back and are trying to put restrictions and obstacles." The Paleostinian office in London was upgraded into a diplomatic mission in 2011. "The consultations are not over yet. I do not think it is a big problem," Abbas added. However, death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... when asked if the PA would act in kind against Britannia, Abbas responded: "All possible options will be open to us." Abbas did not explain why the British were withholding a diplomatic visa for Areikat. The British consulate in Jerusalem did not respond to an inquiry on the matter. The diplomatic dust-up comes as Paleostinians have threatened legal action against the British government if it does not retract its intention to celebrate the centennial of the Balfour Declaration. The Balfour Declaration, a document signed on November 2, 1917, by foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour, announced his government’s intention to facilitate "a national home for the Jewish people" in the Land of Israel. Paleostinian officials have long branded the Balfour Declaration a "crime," and last July officials in Ramallah announced plans to sue the British government over the document, viewed in Israel as an important step toward the country’s creation. Abbas has spoken out against the centennial celebration of the document at nearly all of his recent major international speeches, including most recently at the Arab Summit in Jordan last Wednesday. He has also called on the UK to apologize for the declaration and do so by recognizing the state of Paleostine. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during an official visit to the UK in February that an invitation he received from British Prime Minister Theresa May to attend November’s centenary celebrations of the Balfour Declaration in London "speaks volumes" about Jerusalem’s relationship with Downing Street. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 Paleostinian officials have long branded the Balfour Declaration a "crime," If it was a crime, it must've been "hate speech". Her Majesty's government certainly acted contrary to the principles of that declaration. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2017-04-04 02:24 |