Greece’s Foreign Ministry expressed concern late Sunday after authorities of Israel denied a Greek trade union delegation traveling to the West Bank entry and subsequently deported the group.
The delegation, comprised of Greek citizens representing trade unions, had been invited by the Palestinian side and was heading to Ramallah, the Ministry said in a statement.
“We express our concern over the Israeli authorities’ denial of entry and the deportation of Greek citizens, representatives of trade unions, whose final destination was Ramallah, after being invited by the Palestinian side,” it was added. According to the Ministry, the Greek citizens had complied with entry procedures and had informed authorities of the purpose of their visit.
“The Greek citizens involved had met all entry requirements into the country and had declared the purpose of their visit to the authorities,” the statement added.
The Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions said Israeli authorities subjected the delegation members to questioning and interrogation and detained them for several hours at Tel Aviv Airport before denying them entry.
It described the move as a blatant violation of human rights and trade union freedoms, as well as a direct targeting of international relations between the Palestinian labor movement and its counterparts around the world.
Related: Greece Condemns Israeli Minister’s “Unacceptable” Taunting of Detained Flotilla Activists
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
