Israeli army 'hit' vehicle carrying Hajj pilgrims in Palestine

Israeli army has been accused of ramming a vehicle carrying Palestinian Hajj pilgrims in occupied West Bank.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the car-ramming incident early on Saturday took place in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

Wafa cited eyewitnesses and officials as saying that the minibus, which was carrying Palestinians heading to Saudi Arabia by way of Jordan, was hit “deliberately” causing panic among the elderly passengers.

Deputy Governor of Jenin Mansour Al-Saadi confirmed that an Israeli army vehicle rammed directly into the vehicle, which was parked outside the governorate compound.

Although no injuries were reported, the minibus sustained damage and the incident caused significant distress among the pilgrims.

The incident came at the time when Israel said that it will not allow a planned meeting in the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, to go ahead, an Israeli official said on Saturday, after media reported that Arab ministers planning to attend had been stopped from coming.

The delegation included ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Palestinian Authority officials said. The ministers would require Israeli consent to travel to the West Bank from Jordan.

An Israeli official said the ministers intended to take part in “a provocative meeting” to discuss promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“Such a state would undoubtedly become a terrorist state in the heart of the land of Israel,” the official said. “Israel will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security.”

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A Palestinian Authority official said that the issue of whether the meeting in Ramallah would be able to go ahead was under discussion.

The move comes ahead of an international conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, due to be held in New York on June 17-20 to discuss the issue of Palestinian statehood.

Israel has come under increasing pressure from the United Nations and European countries which favour a two-state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, under which an independent Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that recognising a Palestinian state was not only a “moral duty but a political necessity”.