OIC secretary-general cancels Ramallah visit

A visit by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Secretary-General Iyad Madani to the West Bank city of Ramallah has been cancelled, a senior PLO official said.

PLO Executive Committee member, Ahmed Majdalani said the visit, which was due to take place on Sunday, has been postponed indefinitely.

Madani was scheduled to arrive in Ramallah for a two-day visit where he was scheduled to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and inaugurate the first office in the West Bank.

OIC representative in Palestine, Ahmed Ruwaidy told the WAFA news agency that the postponement was due to emergency reasons. However, an informed source in Ramallah confirmed to the news agency that Madani cancelled the visit after Israel rejected his and the Palestinian Authority’s demands regarding the procedures surrounding his visit.

The source added that this is the second visit by a senior Arab official that was cancelled after a similar visit by the Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elarabi scheduled earlier this month was also canceled for similar reason.

Earlier this month, Israel refused to allow Elaraby’s visit organisers to use a helicopter to let him fly directly from Jordan to the Palestinian territory.