My Trip to Gaza- Saturday and Sunday
Posted on January 18, 2010 at 05:46 PM
Saturday was another early day, though the view from our beachside hotel quickly woke me up. Along the beautiful coastline lie mounds of ruins, which make up much of Gaza City. After breakfast our delegation went on a tour of some of the destroyed areas of the city, and listened to eye witnesses of the IDF assault. Such destruction is unbelievable- almost every building showed traces of damage.
During our tour we met with many of the local inhabitants of Gaza City. Around 400,000 people live in Gaza City, where levels of poverty and unemployment are regrettably predictable. Over half the population of the city is under 18 years old, and everywhere we travelled there were scores of children following our group. Over two thirds of these children, our guide informed us, are refugees.
One of the principle reasons for our trip was to check on the progress made in rebuilding the region since the Israeli 'Operation Cast Lead' about this time last year. Many members of our delegation had visited Gaza shortly after the operation, which left 1,400 Gazans dead. In their opinion, unfortunately, little had changed.
Meeting with the inhabitants of the area was a bittersweet occasion. The Gazans we met were overwhelmingly genial and welcoming, and keen to practice their English. However the psychological impact which the battles in the area must have on these children, many of whom have lost multiple family members, is upsetting.
Later on Saturday we also met with Irishman John Ging, who is the head of the UNWRA in the area. John was very interesting to talk to, not least because he provides an Irish perspective into the troubles in the region. Given our own history people in the Middle East tend to listen to an Irish opinion on conflict resolution, and the work of John and his colleagues is crucial in providing some quality of life in Gaza.
On Saturday evening we travelled back to Cairo, where traffic is about as ordered as the Gaza waterfront. Late on Sunday afternoon we set off for our meeting with Amr Mousa, who is Secretary General of the Arab League. The meeting lasted for an hour or so and many important topics were covered. We also met with Egyptian officials including the Foreign Minister Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Whilst the meeting with the Egyptians was constructive, their delegation firmly expressed the view that while they sympathised with the Palestinian people, they were not willing to intervene at the expense of their own stability.
- I will be in Strasbourg this week, having travelled back from Cairo this morning. However I intend to devote more of my time to the issue in future, and have scheduled a speech in parliament this week in order to share my experiences with my fellow MEPs.
In the meantime I welcome any opinions or commentary on the topic.
