Bahr deplores Egypt for barring PLC delegation from traveling through Rafah

Dr. Ahmed Bahr, the acting speaker of the PLC, on Sunday strongly denounced Egypt for preventing the council delegation from traveling through the Rafah border crossing to make visits to a number of Arab and foreign countries at the invitation of their parliaments, considering this action actual participation in the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.

In a press conference held in the PLC headquarters, Dr. Bahr warned that Egypt”s persistence in closing the Rafah crossing would adversely affect the file of the inter-Palestinian dialog and the file of Israeli captive soldier Gilad Shalit, and would undermine Egypt”s credibility in the Palestinian arena.

The acting speaker pointed out that the PLC had received several invitations over the past months from Arab and international parliaments to pay visit to their headquarters, but the Egyptian authorities did not allow its delegations to travel through the Rafah crossing despite Arab mediation.

The acting speaker called in this regard on the Arab League and all parliaments to take a clear position against Egypt”s participation in the blockade on Gaza.

Sources in the PLC said that Dr. Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League, and a number of Arab and Palestinian officials intervened to convince Egypt to allow the Palestinian parliamentary delegation to travel, but all these efforts failed.

Egypt had also barred days ago international parliamentary delegation composed of 53 lawmakers from making a humanitarian visit to Gaza through the Rafah crossing.