EU-Israel | Brussels deplores the expulsion of MEP Ana Miranda, on official mission

The EU denounced as “deeply disappointing” and “surprising” Israel’s decision to reject a Spanish MEP who arrived for an official trip to the Palestinian territories.

The president of the European Parliament (EP), Roberta Metsola, said on Tuesday that she was “deeply disappointed” at Israel’s decision to veto the entry into its territory of the BNG MEP Ana Miranda and promised to explore together with the leaders of the political groups “how can we prevent this from happening again.”

In two messages on his social networks, Metsola recalled that Miranda was in the country as part of an official mission of the European Parliament to access the West Bank and Gaza and assured that he will contact the Israeli authorities to “clarify what has happened and convey our concern “.

“My cabinet has been in close contact all the time with MEP Miranda. Once we know everything that has happened, I will speak with the leaders of the groups in the European Parliament to see how we can prevent this from happening again,” he assured.

Miranda denounced this Tuesday that Israel vetoed her entry into the country as part of a mission of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine despite the fact that the Galician had received official authorization to travel to Israel from the competent Israeli consular authority in Brussels.

The MEP, a member of the Green group in the European Parliament, had arrived on Monday afternoon at the Israeli Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, which is also the gateway to access the Palestinian territories, with other members of the European Parliament delegation for relations with Palestine.

Miranda described his expulsion as a “diplomatic affront” and a “lack of respect” for the European Parliament, in a message on his Twitter account.

The European Commission’s Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, Nabila Massrali, also regretted the Israeli decision to prevent Miranda’s entry and considered it “disappointing” and “also surprising, given that the Israeli authorities had been informed well in advance of the composition of the mission and his entry had been expressly authorized”.

“Respect for all MEPs and the European Parliament is essential for good relations between the EU and Israel. MEPs have the right to exercise their mandate,” the spokeswoman stressed.

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, also expressed his indignation and demanded “explanations from the Israeli authorities.”

It is the second time that Israel vetoes an MEP

Miranda, banned at dawn on Tuesday, is the second component of this official mission to Palestine that has been prevented from entering Israel, after Tel Aviv notified the delegation’s president, Manu Pineda (IU) last week. , which would not allow you to enter the country as part of this group.

Pineda, whose entry to Israel had already been restricted in 2022 in the context of another European Parliament mission, had already asked the president of the European Parliament for reciprocal measures last week.

Ana Miranda had participated in the so-called “Freedom Photo” in 2015, an attempt to break the blockade to which Israel has subjected the territory of Gaza for decades and reinforced since the coming to power of the Islamists Hamas in 2007, but this violation of Israeli law seemed to have prescribed.

The European Union and Israel last year relaunched their joint council, which Israel had put on hold for a decade in response to European criticism of settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, deemed illegal under international law.

But the return of Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister at the helm of the country’s most right-wing government dims hopes of improving relations with Europe.

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