Palestinian premier not welcome in the Netherlands

Photo: Palestinian premier not welcome in the Netherlands

The Foreign Ministry of Netherlands said Tuesday that Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh would not be granted a visa to it’s country to attend a conference on the Palestinian refugee issue.

Ministry spokesman Rob Dekker said a representative for Haniyeh had inquired about the steps for applying for a visa, but nothing had been heard from the Palestinians since then and no application had been received.

Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said Monday he would not grant the elected Palestinian prime minister a visa because his party, Hamas, is listed by the European Union as a terror organization and does not recognize Israel's right to exist.

Haniyeh had been invited to a May 5 conference in Rotterdam organized by several Palestinian groups, including the Palestinian Return Center in London and the Palestinians in Holland Forum.