14/2016

On Monday, 18 April 2016, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) received in its head office in Gaza City, Ashraf Suliman, the South African ambassador to the Palestinian Authority (PA), in his first visit to the Gaza Strip.

Mr. Jaber Weshah, Deputy Director of PCHR, received the Ambassador and welcomed him. Weshah also congratulated the South African people on their Freedom Day on 27 April, on which they commemorate the first post-apartheid elections held in 1994. It should be noted that on the same month, Palestinian people have commemorated the Palestinian Prisoners Day on 17 April.

Weshah fully explained of the human rights situation in the oPt, the suffering of the Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing closure imposed for over 9 years and the failure of the UN Mechanism for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. He added that the Palestinian civilians’ suffering aggravated due to the 2014 Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, before which there was massive destruction in houses and civilian property and serious deterioration in all aspects of life.

The meeting addressed the South Africa’s struggle against the Apartheid and the significance influence of the international community’s position in boycotting the Apartheid, which formed a strong support for the South African people to get their freedom.

Moreover, they tackled South Africa’s experience after liberation by the committees of “Truth and Reconciliation” to achieve community reconciliation and peace while discussing the South African effective role in the Palestinian arena to end the internal split and achieve the national unity.

They emphasized in the meeting the international community should bare its responsibilities towards ending the impunity granted to Israel, activating accountability for Israeli war crimes and prosecuting the war criminals in the international fora. The meeting also reviewed PCHR’s efforts with other Palestinian human rights organizations in this regard, including heading to the International Criminal Court.  Moreover, the tour by Raji Sourani, PCHR’s Director, and Shawan Jabarin, al-Haq’s Director, to Europe and the U.S.A is part of these efforts.

The Ambassador emphasized the strong ties between the struggle in Palestine and that one in South Africa, stressing Nelson Mandela’s absolute support for the Palestinian People’s rights. He added that his country is always ready to provide assistance to support the Palestinian people in their struggle against the occupation.

At the end of the meeting, the Ambassador promised to visit the Gaza Strip again very soon as he visited Gaza 10 years ago. During this visit, he noticed the size of destruction caused by the three Israeli offensives on the Gaza Strip.