“The student movement refused to allow these visitors into the museum because of their stance on the genocide in Gaza. That’s why we asked them to leave,” student representative Omar Kajed told AFP, as quoted by France24 television.
Footage of the diplomatic scramble is circulating on social media showing the Italian consul, Domenico Bellato, hurriedly leaving a museum near the city of Ramallah. A crowd of protesters follows him.
Similarly, the German ambassador to Palestine, Oliver Owcza, had to leave the museum as well, after Palestinians threw stones at his car, according to the Israeli newspaper Ynet News. French television reported that in one of the footage, a man can be heard shouting “get out” at the diplomats.
“There was an EU field trip meeting at the museum today. Around lunchtime, a demonstration gathered in front of him,” Christian Kussler, spokesman for the German representation in Ramallah, told AFP. “The heads of the EU missions present have decided to leave the premises,” he added, adding that his office was evaluating the situation.
The National Museum of Palestine is located in the West Bank town of Birzeit, north of Ramallah, next to Birzeit University.
The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist movement Hamas was sparked last October 7 when the movement attacked southern Israel. During the terrorist attacks, including on the Nova festival, Hamas fighters murdered 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted over 260 others to the Gaza Strip. Over a hundred of them are still being held in Gaza, but most of them are already dead according to the Israeli authorities.
According to the Palestinian authorities, Israeli retaliatory actions eventually claimed around 34 thousand dead.
Israelis say goodbye to outdated patriots, Ukraine hopes
Near and Middle East
Tags: mob Palestinians drove European diplomats West Bank museum Stones flew air
