Lajee Centre says the cancelled Irish cultural tour would have provided "much-needed respite from Israeli occupation"

The Lajee Irish cultural tour has been cancelled following the refusal of the centre's visa applications for the second time.

The Irish Government allegedly denied the visas by claiming that documents hand-delivered to the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv were missing from the applications.

The Lajee Centre- a community-based, grassroots cultural centre in the Aida Refugee Camp - say the families of those intending to travel "have lost thousands of euros in application fees, translation and notary fees for documents which had to be submitted as part of the process.

"We have worked closely with Lajee for over two years to organise this cultural celebration, bringing the rich tradition of Palestinian dance and music to communities across Ireland," stated organisers online.

"It would have also given the young people from Aida Refugee Camp some much-needed respite from the Israeli occupation."

Organisers are calling on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee, to "explain why young Palestinian performers are paying the price for an apparent administrative breakdown between her department and the Department of Justice."

 

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The Lajee cultural tour has previously had successful tours in Ireland. Their activities included Palestinian folk dance performances, music and photo exhibitions, as well as meetings and events intended to educate people about life in Palestine.

During last year's tour, Lajee's director Mohammad al-Azza stressed the importance of cultural exchanges in highlighting the Palestinian situation and their continuing solidarity with Ireland. Al-Azza added that performing in Ireland gave the 22 young Palestinian participants the opportunity both to present "the beauty of Palestinian culture" as well as their "suffering under Israeli occupation."

For 17 of the youth, last year's trip to Ireland was their first experience travelling outside of Palestine.