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Press Release
Spanish Civil Society Delegation Concludes Visit
Date: 4 March 2002
Ref: 27/2002
A Spanish civil society delegation departed for home yesterday after concluding a 10-day trip to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), whose last leg was a series of meetings and field visits in the Gaza strip.
PCHR hosted the 14-member delegation from the Malaga chapter of the Arab Cause Solidarity Committee (CSCA) during its 3 days in the Gaza strip. The delegates, who included civil society activists, teachers, medical workers, and local political leaders, were from the Andalusia region of southern Spain. The delegation was led by Cristina Ruiz Cortina Sierra, a counselor in the city of Malaga and Vice President of the CSCA’s Malaga chapter.
The purpose of the visit was to expose the delegates firsthand to the situation in the OPT and to familiarise them with the human rights, humanitarian, and political situations so as to better inform their advocacy efforts in their own country. They met with victims of human rights violations, representatives of civil society, political leaders, and academics.
While in the Gaza strip, the delegation visited Gaza city, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Beit Lahia, Jabalya, and al-Qarara, witnessing firsthand the results of escalating Israeli violations of international humanitarian law over the past 16 months. Accompanied by the Director of PCHR and several staff members, the delegation toured areas that had witnessed massive destruction of agricultural land and housing by Israeli occupation forces, especially in areas near Israeli settlements. The delegates heard firsthand from the victims of human rights violations about their experiences. They also visited PNA office buildings throughout Gaza city that have been destroyed by Israeli combat aircraft in recent months.
The CSCA delegation also deepened links with Palestinian civil society through meetings with: Dr. Heydar Abdel Shafi, head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society; Dr. Abdel Karim Ashour, Director of the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee; Dr. Eyad Sarraj, Director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme; Na’ela Ayyash, Director of the Women’s Affairs Centre; representatives of feminist and women’s groups; and representatives of the wives and mothers of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. These meetings provided valuable context that complemented the experiences of field visits.
The delegates met with a number of government officials in Gaza, including: Palestinian Minister of Justice Freih Abu Medin; acting head of the Gaza municipality Nasri Keyal; Rafah governor Sifayan al-Agha; Mansour Abu Jizar, director of the northern governorate; and Khan Yunis mayor Dr. Osama al-Farra. These officials described how Israeli policies have negatively impacted the work of municipal governments in the Gaza strip, especially the provision of basic services. The delegation also met with leaders of Palestinian political parties to exchange views on the current situation, including Dr. Rabah Muhanna of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ahmed Hilles of Fateh, Saleh Zidan of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Ismail Hania of Hamas. Meetings with representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Committee of the Red Cross acquainted the delegation with the role of the international community in the conflict.
Throughout the visit, the members of the delegation repeatedly expressed their outrage at violations of international humanitarian law and human rights by Israeli occupation forces and shame at their government’s inability or unwillingness to condemn these acts and pressure Israel to put an end to such abuses. The delegation will carry on its work in Spain by raising awareness about the situation on the ground in the OPT and advocating for international pressure to secure protection for Palestinian civilians. The delegation plans to return to the OPT in the future.
