The PA foreign Ministry revealed Tuesday evening that its application to join the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) did not come to a vote at the body’s annual conference.
“Palestine applied for membership of Interpol more than a year ago but the executive committee of Interpol rejected the Palestinian request for a vote and referred it to a committee of experts for examination” Foreign Ministry official Ammar Hijazi told AFP.
He added that “executive measures” had prevented the issue being on the agenda for Interpol’s annual meeting being held in the Indonesian island of Bali Nov. 7-10.
Hijazi said Palestinian officials would nevertheless attend the meeting to register their protest.
Commenting on the issue the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory for helping to delay a Palestinian bid to join the Interpol.
“This morning we stopped the Palestinian attempt to become a member of Interpol. It was a difficult effort but it bore fruit” he said.
Netanyahu also said that “it is important to take into account that this battle the battle in international organizations reflects not just our interests but the interests of many nations.”
“This battle will most certainly continue” he added.
