Ref: 34/2011

On Wednesday morning, 25 May 2011, the
Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) received a delegation the Norwegian
Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority (PA) comprised of: Stein
Torgersbråten, Deputy Representative; Rima Tadros, Bilateral Cooperation
Consultant; and Mr. Gisle Hagen, Norad Consultant. 

The delegation met with Raji Sourani, Director
of PCHR, who reviewed PCHR’s activities at both the Palestinian and Israeli
agendas. He further addressed the issue
of the Palestinian national reconciliation in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory and its effects, stressing that Palestinians hopes that there will be
a progress with regard to efforts made to end the Palestinian political
division, to form a new Palestinian government, to restore the status of the
PA’s institutions and to create an appropriate environment to organize free and
fair elections. 

During the meeting, Sourani called on Norway to
intensify efforts with regard to supporting Palestinian demands for ending the
Israeli occupation and stopping its human rights violations in the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank. The meeting further
addressed the issue of international aid. In this regard, Sourani emphasized that the aid provided to Palestinian
is important, but not sufficient and cannot compensate the losses incurred by
the tightened siege imposed on the Gaza Strip for years. He called for making serious efforts to lift
the siege, which is a major Israeli violation of Palestinian human rights since
it is a form of collective punishment against the majority of the Gaza Strip’s
population. 

The meeting was concluded by signing a funding
agreement by the Norwegian Representative Office to PCHR in 2011. It is worth noting that PCHR has a relation
of cooperation and partnership with the Norwegian Representative Office, which
has funded a number of PCHR’s programs and activities for years. 

Earlier, on Tuesday evening, 24 May 2011,
Sourani and Dr. Eyad al-Sarraj, Director of Gaza Community Mental Health
Program, met with Gerard Cockx, Belgian Consul General, and Karel Van Hecke,
Belgian Consul of Political Affairs. The
meeting discussed the human rights situation in the Gaza Strip and the current
developments and their implications.