Egypt refuses entry to top Fatah leader

By Qais Abu Samra and Hamza al-Husseini

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Egyptian authorities have banned a leader of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah group from entering the country, according to Palestinian and Egyptian sources.

Jibril Rajoub, Secretary-General of Fatah’s Central Committee, arrived at Cairo International Airport on Sunday from Jordan to attend an Arab League conference on terror-combat, a source in Rajoub’s office said.

“He, however, was barred by security agencies from entering Egypt,” the source added on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

An Egyptian security source said Rajoub was barred from entry at the request of a high-level agency.

“His name was on the list of people not allowed to enter the country and he was deported aboard a Jordan-bound plane,” the source said.

Rajoub was invited by Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul-Gheit to attend the conference in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, according to a source in the Palestinian embassy in Cairo.

It remains unclear why the Fatah official was banned from entering Egypt, but Arab media recently spoke about tension in ties between Egypt and Fatah over Cairo’s hosting of a conference organized by sacked Fatah member Mohamed Dahlan.

Currently based in the United Arab Emirates, Dahlan was sacked from Fatah in 2011 over corruption allegations.

Rival Hamas group, for its part, blames Dahlan for the political turmoil that convulsed the Gaza Strip in 2006 and 2007.