Netherlands turns back Hamas minister.

DUBAI (AFP) - The Netherlands turned back a Palestinian minister with the Islamist movement Hamas on Friday who was headed for a conference on refugees, the minister said.

Speaking to Arab news channel Al-Jazeera from his plane, sports and youth minister Bassem Naim said he was stopped at Brussels airport where he was to have made a stopover and told his Netherlands visa had been revoked. Belgian police told him that the justice ministry in the Netherlands had cancelled the entry visa on the grounds that he was “dangerous for the security of the Dutch people”, the minister said. …

In the West Bank political capital of Ramallah, information minister Mustafa Barghouti said: “We are surprised by this decision and we expect the Netherlands to take a balanced stand between Israel and the Palestinians.”

German FM angers Palestinians.

Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh on Saturday attacked German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier for refusing to meet with him during his visit to the city.

The German minister’s decision to boycott Batarseh is apparently linked to the fact that the Bethlehem municipal council is dominated by Hamas figures. Batarseh, a Christian, was elected to his post thanks to the support he enjoys from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. [Can you say, “dhimmi?” —ed.]

Bethlehem Governor Salah Ta’mari boycotted the German minister in solidarity with the mayor. During his visit to Bethlehem, Steinmeier met with Palestinian Authority Finance Minister Salam Fayaad and Tourism Minister Khuloud Daibes.

“This is a humiliation not only for the Bethlehem Municipality and its mayor, but for the entire Palestinian people,” Batarseh said. “There is only one address in Bethlehem: the municipality and the mayor. Anyone who does not want to meet the mayor is not welcome in the city. Our municipal council was elected in a democratic vote and anyone who does not respect this should not come here.”

One step forward, two steps back.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) welcomes Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (L) at his office in the West Bank town of Ramallah May 5, 2007. REUTERS/Loay Abu Haykel (WEST BANK)

UPDATE at 5/5/07 9:34:43 am:

The Netherlands may have turned back one Hamas minister, but they also allowed Hamas terrorist Ismail Haniyeh to address this anti-Israel “conference” via video.

A child plays with a model of the Israeli separation wall, prior to the start of a conference where groups debated the plight of Palestinian refugees at the 5th conference of Palestinians in Europe in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Saturday May 5, 2007. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh spoke via a video link because Dutch authorities refused to grant him a visa because he is from Hamas, which the European Union lists as a terrorist organization. On Friday, Palestinian Youth and Sports Minister Bassem Naim, also a Hamas member, was barred from getting off a plane in the Belgian capital, Brussels, after Dutch authorities canceled his visa. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)