Egypt made an unprecedented move on Feb. 27 and denied entry to Palestinian politician Jibril Rajoub. Egyptian authorities stopped Rajoub, a high-level member of Fatah’s Central Committee, just as he arrived at Cairo International Airport. Rajoub was set to join a Palestinian delegation that the Arab League had invited to attend a conference on extremism and terrorism. Consequently, the Palestinian delegation, headed by Palestinian Justice Minister Ali Abu Diak, withdrew from the conference.
Egyptian Dream TV interviewed Rajoub over the phone the same day he was denied entry. He angrily said that he was not Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, and there was no reason for him to be kicked out of Egypt. He said this was a strategic mistake and that Egypt should explain itself.
