Palestinians with study visas denied consular help to leave Gaza

Three Palestinians who obtained visas to study in the Netherlands have been told by a court that they are not entitled to support from the Dutch government to leave Gaza.

The trio, two students and a journalist, had asked the administrative court in The Hague to intervene in their case so that they could travel to Jordan and collect their visas.

They are among a group of 42 Palestinians who have been granted visas to work, study or carry out research in the Netherlands, but they do not have permission to cross the Gaza border.

The court said it had no powers to order the foreign affairs ministry to provide consular support. The three applicants will now have to decide whether to bring a case in the civil courts.

One of them, Hisham Zaqout, was given a visa to work at research institute NIAS on a project about the protection of journalists in conflict zones, under the title Silencing the Witnesses.

In his declaration to the court he said: “It is a painful irony that while I am awaiting this administrative decision, I am at risk of being silenced before I can start my research.”

The Dutch government helped evacuate 16 Palestinians last summer, but it said the circumstances had changed since Israel and the Palestinian government signed a ceasefire last October.