Philippines rejects reports of clandestine Palestinian flights
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has categorically denied reports that Palestinians have been brought into the country via clandestine flights reportedly linked to a plan to push all Palestinians out of their territories in Gaza and the West Bank.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro dismissed on Tuesday, November 18, rumors that some Palestinians were being redirected to Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, after two flights carrying hundreds of Palestinians landed in South Africa in recent weeks.
"It's not true. That is something that we can categorically say is not true," Lazaro said during a joint press conference with Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, who is making the first visit by a Palestinian foreign minister to the Philippines in 36 years.
Flights under probe. These covert flights, according to reports citing the South African foreign minister, are part of a broader campaign to supposedly cleanse Palestinians from their own territory by forcibly flying them to different countries. The most recent flight arrived in Johannesburg in South Africa on November 13 carrying 153 Palestinians who were held on the plane for 12 hours due to a lack of proper travel documents.
The Palestinian foreign minister confirmed that Palestinian authorities are investigating Al-Majd Europe, the organization behind the flights. She called the operations an "illegality" that amounts to "displacement and part of the ethnic cleansing process."
Shahin did not say if Israel was behind the campaign. But she said: "Israel is very well aware of what is taking place."
"Nobody can come out of Gaza without special arrangements with the Israeli side, let alone moving them from Gaza to an airport in Israel proper," the foreign minister said.
Palestinian families reportedly paid between $1,500 and $5,000 per person to Al-Majd Europe, which presents itself as a humanitarian organization but is reportedly led by a dual Israeli-Estonian national.
Security agencies to be looped in. Asked if the Philippines would accept Palestinians if such flights would arrive, Lazaro said the decision would involve security agencies and the Bureau of Immigration under the Department of Justice, not the DFA alone.
"This will be a subject of, I'm sure, further discussions," Lazaro said.
Shahin said Palestinian authorities are sending "very strong messages to the people of Gaza not to have any dealings with Al-Majd or any other company doing the same kind of work."
The Palestinian minister's visit to Manila produced a memorandum of understanding on political consultations and discussions on expediting a visa waiver agreement for diplomatic passports.
Lazaro also reaffirmed Philippine support for the two-state solution and said Manila was prepared to provide technical and vocational training assistance to Palestine.
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