Israel suspended on Sunday a VIP pass easing the Palestinian foreign minister's travel in and around the occupied West Bank, among retaliatory measures for a Palestinian bid to involve the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in their decades-old conflict.
Entering the West Bank from Jordan, Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki was detained for 30 minutes by border guards who confiscated his "VIP" travel card, his office said.
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Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki detained in border crossing due to governmental instrcutions
(Photo: Kobe Gideon)
A spokesperson for Israel's Defense Ministry, which administers the West Bank, confirmed the move, calling it part of the implementation of a government decision on Friday.
In that decision, Israel announced retaliatory measures after the UN General Assembly, responding to an appeal by the Palestinians, asked the ICJ for an opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.
Among the five measures listed was "revocation of benefits for VIPs leading the legal-diplomatic war against Israel".
On Saturday, the Defense Ministry said the VIP cards of three other senior Palestinian officials had been revoked in response to them visiting a member of Israel's Arab minority who had been imprisoned for killing an Israeli soldier.
Israeli security cabinet makes some sweeping decisions
(Footage: Roee Avraham)
Issued under interim accords with Israel from the 1990s, the cards ease travel across the Israeli-controlled West Bank border with Jordan and from Palestinian-ruled territory into Israel.
"The foreign minister will continue his job and his diplomatic activities with or without the card," Ahmed Al-Deek, an aide to Maliki, said.
Israel had confiscated Maliki's VIP card in 2021 after he returned from a meeting of the International Criminal Court. It was not immediately clear when and why the card had been restored.