Israel stops Indonesian minister's West Bank visit

Israel on Sunday refused to allow Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi to visit the occupied West Bank, where she was to hold talks with PA leaders, the PA foreign ministry said.

Israeli authorities control access to the West Bank, where the Palestinian political capital Ramallah is located.

Marsudi was to hold talks in Ramallah with PA head Mahmud Abbas and her counterpart Riad al-Malki, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

 She also planned to open an honorary consular office, it said. Malki instead travelled to Jordan to meet her.
       Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said in a statement that "Israel did not grant the overflight permit for the helicopter" that was to take Marsudi from Jordan to the West Bank.

It provided no further details on why she was denied entry.

Israel and Indonesia do not have formal diplomatic relations.