Ramallah: Israel has stripped Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of VIP status and given him a watered-down travel permit that is valid for just two months, Palestinian officials charged on Sunday. The officials said that Abbas complained about the permit at an internal meeting of his Fatah Party last week.
In a speech, Abbas said the new permit, similar to those required for Palestinian labourers entering Israel, was a reflection of Israel's continued control over the Palestinians, and suggested that Israel was trying to punish him for applying for Palestinian membership in the United Nations.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to brief reporters. Major Guy Inbar, a spokesman for the Israeli agency that issues travel documents to Palestinians, said there has been no change in policy.
He said the permit was the result of a technical glitch that should be resolved soon.
"Freedom of movement... remains exactly the same as it was," Inbar said. "I deny all claims of changes in travel passes of Palestinian officials," he said. "There is no change in position or policy regarding the travel passes of Palestinian officials."
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