Ref: 18/2010

Today, 15 February 2010, a group of representatives of a variety of
German organizations active in the Occupied Palestinian Territory took part in
a one-day human rights visit to the Gaza Strip, organized by the Palestinian
Centre for Human Rights (PCHR). The eight participants included representatives
of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the German
Development Service, the Goethe Institut, and the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria Foundation.
Jaber Wisheh, Deputy Director of PCHR welcomed the group in the morning and, in
conjunction with Fieldworker Abdelhalim Abu Samra, led the group on a tour of
the northern area of the Gaza Strip. The delegation stopped in the Al-Atatra in
Beit Lahiya to meet the survivors of white phosphorus attacks on civilian homes
as well as a farmer who discussed the difficulties his farming business faces
under the current Israeli-imposed blockade.

In the late morning, the group was received at PCHR’s head offices in
Gaza City for a discussion with Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, and Mona Shawa,
Head of PCHR’s Women’s Rights Unit. The two PCHR representatives discussed the
work of the Centre, especially under the current split of the Palestinian
Authority. Sourani focused his briefing on the response to the UN Fact-Finding
Mission’s Report (the Goldstone Report), emphasizing especially that neither
Israel nor the two Palestinian governments conducted independent and credible
investigations into the Report’s accusations. Sourani heavily criticized
European states for voting against the Goldstone Report in the UN General
Assembly and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon for failing to address the lack
of credibility of the Israeli military’s investigations into crimes committed
by members of its own staff. Shawa discussed the work of the Women’s Rights
Unit, focusing specifically on the needs of women in Gaza’s most conservative
communities in terms of legal aid, as well as the manner in which family law in
Muslim countries can be changed in favour of women.

Following this discussion, the group met with three representatives of
civil society in Gaza: Constantin Dabbagh, Director of the Near East Council of
Churches; Issa Saba, Director of the Canaan Institute of New Pedagogy; and Eyad
el-Sarraj, Director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme. The three
introduced the work of their respective institutions and answered questions
from the visitors regarding their views about the current situation in Gaza, as
well as potential solutions for a lasting peace in the region. The visit of the
German representatives was concluded by a meeting with John Ging, Director of
Operations in Gaza for UNRWA.