Israel Bars Gaza Patients Over 'Palestine' Letterhead
(Reuters) - Israel has denied entry permits to some 50 Palestinian medical patients from the Gaza Strip because the words "State of Palestine" appears on the letterhead of their application, officials said on Wednesday.
Israel does not recognize a Palestinian state, whose creation it says should stem from peace negotiations. It voted against a U.N. General Assembly resolution in 2012 that gave de facto recognition to a sovereign Palestinian state.
"On Sunday (the Palestinians) filed a range of requests ... on a document that said 'State of Palestine'. On the spot, we returned it to them, saying they should refile the request on appropriate paperwork," said Major Guy Inbar, a spokesman for COGAT, the military-run authority that handles entry permits.
He said 10 Palestinians whose cases were urgent were allowed to enter Israel while about 50 others were not.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/12/us-palestinians-israel-health-idUSBREA1B1BO20140212