August 16, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-us-Saani 6, 1423

TEL AVIV, Aug 15: Four Israelis who were injured or lost family in Palestinian attacks have been refused entry to the United States for “security reasons” because of their Iranian origin, the Israeli Association for the Victims of Terror said on Wednesday.

The four were due to travel to the United States as part of a visiting delegation of victims of Palestinian attacks, but were refused an entry visa by the US State Department because of their Iranian background, a statement from the group said.

“The group will leave without the four ... whose entry was prohibited by the authorities because they were born in Iran,” it said.

Meir Indor, chairman of the Terror Victims Association which has organised the trip, said the incident would be reported to Israel’s foreign ministry.

“The next time the United States pressures us about easing the entry of Palestinians into Israel for visits or family reunions, we hope the foreign office will remind them how, for much lesser reasons, they stuck to their principles inflexibly without being considerate,” Indor said.—AFP