A European Parliament delegation is demanding that Israel explain why it prevented European lawmakers from visiting the Gaza Strip, despite earlier Israeli assurances that the delegation would be allowed to visit Gaza.
The European delegation issued a statement saying Israeli authorities cited "security grounds" when they revoked permission for Wednesday's visit to Gaza.
The delegation of at least eight people was denied access one day after the European Union said Jerusalem should be the shared capital of Israel and a future Palestinian state.
EU foreign ministers issued a statement in Brussels Tuesday that said the European Commission does not recognize Israel's annexation of the disputed area of East Jerusalem in 1967. But the foreign ministers did not stipulate that East Jerusalem should be the capital of a Palestinian state.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
