Belgian government minister protests being banned from Gaza visit by Israel

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So much for Israel being the only democracy in the Middle East.
By MARK LAVIE
A BELGIAN politician has lodged an angry protest after the Israeli government intervened to prevent him from visiting Gaza.
Development minister Charles Michel has insisted European officials must be able to visit the territory because they have aid projects there.

"This situation is unacceptable," Mr Michel said in a television interview yesterday.

Israel routinely bans foreign officials from crossing into Gaza, maintaining that such visits bolster the Islamic Hamas rulers of Gaza.

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