Israel Blocks Arab League Secretary-General's Visit to Palestinian Authority Leader in Ramallah

Israel prevented Nabil Fahmy, the newly appointed Secretary-General of the Arab League, from visiting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. The visit, scheduled for Tuesday as part of Fahmy's first foreign trip, was intended to show solidarity from the 22 Arab League member states. Fahmy planned to fly from Cairo to Jordan and then proceed to Ramallah. However, following a ministerial meeting in Jerusalem attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel denied permission for Fahmy's plane to cross from Jordan into Ramallah.

The Palestinian Authority informed the Arab League in Cairo of Israel's decision, and sources reported that Fahmy responded with anger. Israel justified the move by stating it would not cooperate with actions perceived as threatening national security. In response, Fahmy affirmed that despite Israel's obstruction, the Arab League would continue addressing the Palestinian issue and work towards establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Fahmy, 75, a seasoned diplomat and former Egyptian ambassador to Washington and foreign minister, criticized the blockade and settlement expansion in the West Bank, which he said was encouraged by the "occupying state." He called for accountability regarding Israel's violations of Palestinians' fundamental rights in the West Bank, without mentioning Gaza. Fahmy is known for his sharp rhetoric and is the son of the late Egyptian Foreign Minister Ismail Fahmy, who resigned in protest of President Anwar Sadat's 1977 visit to Jerusalem. Fahmy declined to comment directly on the cancellation of his Ramallah visit.