Israel blocks delivery of Indian gift to Palestinian university

The Israeli regime has confiscated four communication systems that were to be given by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee to a Palestinian university as gifts during his first ever visit to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

On Monday, Israeli customs authorities held back the systems and prevented their delivery to the Information Technology (IT) department of al-Quds University, which is scheduled to be inaugurated by Mukherjee on Tuesday.

Israel’s customs released 30 computers that were part of Pranab’s gift to the Palestinian educational institution, but the communication systems were not cleared.

Mukherjee’s trip to Palestine comes amid simmering tensions between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters.

At least 27 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of others injured by Israeli troops in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since October 1.

The tensions were triggered by the Tel Aviv regime’s imposition on August 26 of sweeping restrictions on entries into the compound of the al-Aqsa Mosque in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) and Israeli settlers’ repeated stormings of the mosque.

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