EU delegation cancels trip to Jerusalem, West Bank after Israel banned 4 participants

A delegation of European Union parliament members has canceled its trip to Jerusalem and Ramallah after Israel barred two lawmakers and two staffers from entering the country, the EU’s mission to the Palestinians tells The Times of Israel in a statement.

The Interior Ministry said earlier today that it had denied entry to EU MP Rima Hassan over her support for boycotts against Israel, but the Jerusalem-based EU mission tells The Times of Israel that the delegation’s leader MP Lynn Boylan was also denied entry along with two other EU staffers accompanying the lawmakers.

While the Interior Ministry statement said that Hassan was banned over her public support for boycotting Israel, the EU mission says that Israeli authorities did not provide any reasons to any of the officials who were denied entry.

The three other MPs traveling with Boylan and Hassan were allowed into Israel, but they will return to Europe on the first flight tomorrow morning, as Boylan decided to cancel the delegation entirely, the EU mission says.