A senior Palestinian official condemns a British minister’s unauthorized meetings in Israel as “scandalous,” urging Prime Minister Theresa May to take action.
British International Development Secretary Priti Patel was summoned back from a trip to Africa on Wednesday to meet with May, with speculation she would be fired.
Patel had apologized Monday for holding 12 separate meetings — including with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — during a family vacation in Israel in August, without notifying the Foreign Office or Downing Street in advance.
Priti Patel, Britains Secretary of State for International Development , courtesy Facebook
Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi condemns the visit, accusing Israel of seeking to turn ministers in foreign government into “advocates” through illegitimate means.
“I think it is scandalous and that leads me to question how many more cases, not just in Britain but other places, have not been exposed,” Ashrawi tells AFP.
“It must warrant serious investigation and serious accountability,” she says, though she stops short of calling on May to fire her. “I think Israeli meddling in other governments’ affairs has to be looked into.”
— AFP
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