RAMALLAH, February 24, 2011 (WAFA) – Foreign Minister Riyad Malki said Thursday that all Palestinians in Libya are safe.
He told a press conference at his Ramallah office that the Palestinian Authority has asked Israel to facilitate return of any Palestinian in Libya to the West Bank, but Israel said it will allow entry for only 300.
There are between 25,000 and 40,000 Palestinians living in Libya for decades, said Malki, and about 100 students from the West Bank studying in Libyan universities.
“We welcomed this (Israeli) decision, but it is not enough,” he said. “This may be just a beginning.”
Malki said the Palestinian embassy in Tripoli was told to prepare names of Palestinians who would want to come and live in the West Bank so that their names will be presented to the Israeli authorities for final approval.
He said that if more than 300 people apply to come to the West Bank, their names will be given to Israel to make its final decision, expressing hope that Israel would in the end allow more than 300 to return to the homeland.
Most of those who would return would live in the West Bank because this is the area the Palestinian Authority has control over. Hamas controls the Gaza Strip since June 2007 and Palestinians who want to go to Gaza would enter through Egypt’s Rafah crossing.
For the moment, he said, no one has applied at the embassy to return to the West Bank.
He expected that some Palestinians may try to go to neighboring Egypt or Tunisia saying that the PA was in touch with both governments, which said they would facilitate their entry for humanitarian reasons.
Malki denied accusations made by Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi that Palestinians were involved in the uprising.
“We heard accusations that some Arabs living in Libya, including Palestinians, were involved,” he said. “The Palestinian community in Libya had nothing to do with what is going on. We consider ourselves as guests in Libya.”
He expressed hope that the events in Libya will end soon and for the Libyan people to live in peace and harmony.
M.A.
