Israeli Government Blocks Nobel Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu from Fact-Finding Mission

From Al Jazeera English:

Desmond Tutu, a Nobel laureate, says that Israel has refused him permission to lead a fact-finding mission to investigate Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Tutu was to begin leading a six-member team over the past weekend in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun to investigate the killings of 19 civilians in an Israeli artillery barrage last month.

But Israel failed to grant them the necessary travel clearance.

“We find the lack of co-operation by the Israeli government very distressing, as well as its failure to allow the mission timely passage to Israel,” Tutu said. “We have, in our view, been turned down.”

Read more:

• Al Jazeera English: Israel ‘turns down’ Tutu mission
• BBC: Israel ‘blocks Tutu Gaza mission’