Diplomat wife dies after forced to renew Jerusalem permit

Israeli authorities forced the wife of the Palestinian ambassador to the UK to return to Jerusalem to renew her residency status during chemotherapy treatment, British media reported on Friday. Samira Hassassian died in August aged 57 after she contracted a virus on the return flight to the UK in the midst of cancer treatment, her husband Manuel told The Guardian newspaper. A spokesperson at the Israeli embassy in London denied Samira had been refused an extension of her residency, telling the paper "If there is a health issue there is no question that she would have had to travel." Palestinians have to renew their residency status in East Jerusalem with the Israeli authorities every two years. Hassassian said his wife, who was a US-trained chemist and lecturer in business studies, was determined not to lose her right to live in East Jerusalem.