Ref: 63/2007

Date: 08 November  2007

PCHR Receives Delegation from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions

On 8 November 2007, PCHR received a delegation from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in its main office in Gaza City. The delegation consisted of Eamon McMalon, Anne Speed, and Peter McLoone.

The visitors met Raji Sourani and Jaber Weshah to discuss the human rights situation in the OPT, especially in the Gaza Strip. Sourani talked about the internal Palestinian situation and the catastrophic impact of the Israeli siege on the civilian population. In addition, he talked about the impact of the international sanctions on the Palestinian people imposed after the elections of January 2006.

Sourani stressed that Palestinian civilians are the one party paying the price of the Israeli closure and siege, in the form of restrictions and bans on the movement of goods, persons, and patients, resulting in deterioration of the health, education, and social conditions and in denial of basic human rights.

The visiting delegation also met representatives of the General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions (GFPTU) in their temporary headquarters in Gaza City. The meeting discussed the economic situation in the Strip and its impact on workers in light of increased unemployment and poverty. In addition, the meeting discussed the obstacles facing the GFPTU after the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian unionists asked their Irish counterparts to deliver their message to the International Federation of Labor Unions and to portray the suffering of Palestinians in the OPT as a result of the Israeli occupation.