Jibril Rajoub
Jibril RajoubFlash 90

British Member of Parliament Joan Ryan (Labour) last week requested that the British Secretary of State Amber Rudd prohibit the entry of Palestinian Authority and Fatah leader Jibril Rajoub into Britain. MP Ryan's appeal is a result of Palestinian Media Watch's report "The Jibril Rajoub File" published last month, which documents Rajoub's public glorification of terror and incitement to murder Israelis during the recent terror wave.

In her letter to the British Home Department, MP Joan Ryan wrote:

"The Home Secretary has the power to deny entry to Britain to any non-UK national who seeks to foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence or seeks to provoke others to terrorist acts... I wish to draw your attention to the statements of Jibril Rajoub, a member of Fatah's Central Committee and head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee... I attach a dossier of information compiled by Palestinian Media Watch about Jibril Rajoub. As you will see, he has a long and consistent history of making statements which seek to incite terrorism and glorify its perpetrators. I believe that a statement from your department making clear that Jibril Rajoub will be prohibited from entering the UK will send an unequivocal message that Britain does not and will not tolerate the promotion of terrorism."

The PMW report referred to by MP Ryan includes over 20 pages of examples of Rajoub's statements and activities promoting terror, prohibiting peace-building events, and glorifying terrorists, such as the examples below:

"I say that whoever carried out individual acts of heroism (i.e., referring to terror attacks), we in the Fatah Movement bless and encourage them. We consider them heroes and a crown on the head of every Palestinian... beginning with our brother Muhannad Halabi (who murdered 2 - Ed.)..."

[Official PA TV, Jan. 2, 2016]

"The international community does not agree to a bus exploding in Tel Aviv. But the international community does not ask what happens to a settler or soldier in the occupied territories at the wrong time and in the wrong place. No one asks about him! Therefore, we want to fight in such a way that the world and the international community will remain by our side."

[Official PA TV, Oct. 17, 2015]

In 2005, the British Home Office recognized glorification of terror as one among several "unacceptable behaviours." The Home Secretary is empowered to bar an individual engaging in one or more of these "unacceptable behaviours" from entry to British soil:

"The power to deny a person the ability to enter the UK is an important tool... Individuals can be excluded... under the unacceptable behaviours or extremism exclusion policy."

"The list of unacceptable behaviours... covers any non-UK national in the UK or abroad who uses any means ... to express views which: foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs; seek to provoke others to terrorist acts..."

[House of Commons Briefing Paper , Number 7035, July 21, 2016, emphasis added]

Jibril Rajoub's statements and actions during the recent terror wave as documented by PMW clearly put him in this category.

PMW has shared the documentation of Jibril Rajoub's terror support with other MPs as well, and similar action may be pursued in other countries.