Ref: 87/2012

On Monday, 22 October 2012, Raji al-Sourani, Director of the
Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), received Ramesh Singam, Director of
the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
in Jerusalem, who was accompanied by the director of the local Gaza office.

The meeting addressed aspects of joint coordination between PCHR
and OCHA and explored prospects for future cooperation.  During the meeting, al-Sourani acknowledged
the excellent work that OCHA carries out and its important role in improving
the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

During the meeting, the issue of the Israeli closure of the Gaza
Strip and its major impacts on the lives of civilians was discussed; in
particular, the participants discussed the danger that the international
community is contributing to the institutionalization of the closure.  Al-Sourani emphasized the need to think of creative
ways to break the siege and ensure that the challenges and obstacles faced by
the people of the Gaza Strip due to the closure are overcome.

Al-Sourani and Singam discussed the recent report by the United
Nations Country Team in the occupied Palestinian territory, ‘Gaza in 2020: A
liveable place?’, which highlights the deteriorating humanitarian situation in
the Gaza Strip.  They also considered the
possible means of utilizing the report, in order to raise awareness of the
gravity of the current situation in Gaza.

Al-Sourani called on OCHA officials to engage with the 2 Palestinian
governments in Gaza and Ramallah and raise the issue of transparency and
accountability in relation to economic matters.

Earlier in the week, al-Sourani met with the internationally-renowned
thinker Noam Chomsky several times over the course of his visit to the Gaza
Strip, which took place from 18-22 October 2012.

Al-Sourani expressed his appreciation for Chomsky’s visit to the
Gaza Strip, during which Chomsky condemned the Israeli closure and the war
crimes and human rights violations practiced by the Israel against civilians.

It had been scheduled for al-Sourani to meet with Chomsky in New
York during the fourth session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine; however,
al-Sourani could not participate due to visa issues.

At the beginning of October, al-Soutani received a delegation from
the Church of Scotland.  The delegation
of 5 members, who were on a visit organized by the Church and Society Council, participated
in a lengthy discussion with al-Sourani at PCHR’s head office in Gaza City. 

During the meeting, they discussed the current situation in the
Gaza Strip and recent developments in human rights; in particular, they focused
on the closure imposed on the Gaza Strip and its catastrophic affects that
prevent Gazans from enjoying their economic and social rights.

It should be noted that the World Council of Churches plays an
important and strategic role in supporting Palestinians and is one of PCHR’s
most important partners.