Palestinians recall envoy over appearance with radical preacher

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The Palestinians have recalled their ambassador to Pakistan Walid Abu Ali following Ali's attendance at a rally also attended by a radical preacher linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Ambassador Walid Abu Ali came under fire for attending Friday's rally in Rawalpindi, organized by the Defence of Pakistan Council, an alliance of Islamist groups including Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) headed by Hafiz Saeed, in protest at the US decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa is believed to be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group that battles Indian troops in disputed Kashmir and was blamed for the Mumbai attacks which killed 166 people.

The Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement the envoy's attendance at the mass rally "in the presence of individuals accused of supporting terrorism is an unintended mistake, but not justified."

According to the statement, the ambassador was being recalled immediately. Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said the rally was attended by thousands of people from all walks of life and more than 50 speakers addressed the meeting, including Saeed.

India's foreign ministry said it had told the Palestinians that their ambassador's association with "terrorist Hafiz Saeed, who is proscribed by the United Nations... is unacceptable."

It said in a statement the Palestinian side had expressed "deep regrets" over the incident and "will not engage with those who commit acts of terror against India."

Jamaat-ud-Dawa is listed by the UN as a terrorist group and Saeed has a 10-million-US-dollar bounty on his head.

He was held under house arrest from January to November following a Pakistani government crackdown.

Saeed denies involvement in the Mumbai attacks and Pakistan says there is not enough evidence to charge him.

(With inputs from AFP)