Ref: 22/2008
Date: 26 June 2008
PCHR Receives a Delegation from Spanish Cooperation Program and Meets with Deputy Norwegian Foreign Minister
On Wednesday, 25 June 2008, PCHR received in its main office in Gaza City a delegation from Spanish Cooperation Program in Jerusalem, headed by Ms. Barbara Demurtos and Mr. Asier Rodriguez Villa. On Thursday morning, 26 June 2008, Mr. Jaber Wishah, Deputy Director of PCHR, met with Mr. Raymond Johansen, Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway, and an accompanying delegation at the headquarters of UNDP in Gaza City.
Mr. Wishah received the Spanish delegation, which included PCHR’s partner, ACSUR – an assembly of Spanish human rights NGOs – and a number of university professors. He briefed the visitors on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), especially in the Gaza Strip in the last year. He also explained efforts made by PCHR to ensure the prosecution of Israeli war criminals at international courts, and briefed them on the latest developments with regard to the claim submitted by PCHR on behalf of victims before the Spanish judiciary against Israeli officials who committed war crimes against Palestinian civilians in 2002.
On Thursday, 26 June 2008, members the Spanish delegation continued their visit to PCHR. They met with Ms. Muna Shawa, Director of PCHR Women’s Rights Unit, and the staff of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Unit. Members of the delegations were briefed on the mandates and activities of the two units.
On Thursday morning, Mr. Wishah, representing PCHR, Mr. Essam Younis, Director of al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, and Mr. Ahmed Abu Tawaheena, Director of Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, met at UNDP headquarters in Gaza with Mr. Mr. Raymond Johansen, Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway; Mr. Tor Wennesland, Political Consul in the Norwegian Representative Office; and Mr. Ketal Eak, a diplomat in the Norwegian Representative Office.
The meeting discussed the human rights situation in the OPT and the obligations on European states to provide protection for Palestinian civilians, and to pressurize Israel to stop grave breaches against them, including collective punishment measures.
Representatives of the three organizations demanded the Kingdom of Norway, to play a more effective role in putting and end to the tightened siege imposed on Palestinians, especially as Norway had a distinguished position, different from that of European countries, following the Palestinian legislative elections which were held in January 2006. They also demanded European countries to review their position concerning the continuation of supporting the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, stressing that Palestinian civilians, especially children, are the ones who pay the price.
Representatives of the Palestinian NGOs further demanded a European intervention to ensure the opening of the Rafah International Crossing Point – the sole outlet for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to the outside world. They also urged the European Union to develop its role under the Palestinian-Israeli Border Crossings Agreement of 2005 and to intervene to allow Palestinian students and patients stuck in the Gaza Strip to have access to education and medical care abroad.
Additionally, they expressed reservations and astonishment concerning the development of Euro-Israeli relations recently, while IOF continue their crimes against Palestinian civilians. They asserted that such development of relations contradicts the Euro-Israel Association Agreement, which links commercial exchange with respect for human rights, and called for activation of monitoring mechanisms under article 2 of the Agreement to observe Israel’s violations of human rights.
In the end, representatives of the Palestinian NGOs emphasized the need to end the current Palestinian political and geographical division, stressing that there is no other alternative to dialogue between Fatah and Hamas movements. They further stressed that it is important that Europe should support such dialogue and not exclude Gaza from any future development projects.
