A delegation of European Union parliament members canceled its trip to Jerusalem and Ramallah after Israel barred two lawmakers and two staffers from entering the country, the EU’s mission to the Palestinians told The Times of Israel in a statement on Monday.

The Interior Ministry said earlier in the day that it had denied entry to French EU MP Rima Hassan over her support for boycotts against Israel, but the Jerusalem-based EU mission told The Times of Israel that the delegation’s leader, MP Lynn Boylan, was also denied entry along with two other EU staffers accompanying the lawmakers.

While the Interior Ministry statement said that Hassan was banned over her public support for boycotting Israel, the EU mission said that Israeli authorities did not provide any reasons to any of the officials who were denied entry.

The three other MPs traveling with Boylan and Hassan were allowed into Israel, but they will return to Europe on the first flight tomorrow morning, as Boylan decided to cancel the delegation entirely, the EU mission said.

The Interior Ministry had previously said Hassan would not be allowed to enter the country, accusing her of acting “on a regular basis to promote the boycott against Israel” and pointing to her prior public statements.

Hassan has previously called Israel a “terrorist” state and accused its military of having “coldly executed Palestinian........

© The Times of Israel