Israel claims blocked Palestinian Interpol bid

Israel claimed victory Tuesday in blocking a Palestinian bid to join the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol). The body's annual conference decided Tuesday to suspend the Palestinian bid, instead appointing an advisor to review the application and report back at the 2017 conference. Membership bids from Kosovo and the Solomon Islands were also put on hold.
The Palestinians had been seeking to get their membership ratified at the annual meeting, which is being held on the Indonesian island of Bali. "The Israeli ministry of foreign affairs together with the Israeli police... carried out an intensive global effort to thwart the Palestinian initiative," a foreign ministry statement said.