In the afternoon of Tuesday, 4 September 2007, PCHR’s
director Raji Sourani welcomed an international delegation from “Front Line: The
international foundation for the protection of human rights defenders.” Denis O’Brien headed the delegation, which included the
Director of Front Line, Ms. Mary Lawler, and 3 Irish human rights defenders.
The delegation started their 2-day visit to Gaza with a
meeting at PCHR’s Gaza office with 6 representatives of Palestinian civil
society:
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Issa Saba, Director of Kan’an Institute for Pedagogy
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Tariq Abdel Shafi, Director of Seyada Project
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Mariam Zaqout, Director of the Culture and Free Thought
Association
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Mona El-Farra, Director of the Health Committee in the
Palestinian Red Crescent Society for the Gaza Strip.
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Suhaila Tarazi, Director of El-Ahli Arab Hospital
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Elyas El-Jelda, member of the Executive Committee of the
Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions.
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Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR; Hamdi Shaqoura, Director
of PCHR’s Democratic Development Unit; and Mona El-Shawwa, Director of PCHR’s
Women’s Rights Unit.
The meeting discussed the work of these organizations, and
the human rights situation in the Gaza Strip, especially after 15 June 2007 and
in light of the continuing Israeli escalation against Palestinains in the form
of closure and collective punishment of civilians.
In the evening, the visiting delegation met PCHR’s Board of
Directors, Eyad El-Sarraj (Chairman of the Board of the Gaza Community Mental
Health Programme), and John Ging (UNRWA Chief of Operations). The meeting
discussed the deteriorating humanitarian and economic situation of the civilian
population in the Gaza Strip. Ging highlighted UNRWA’s efforts to reduce the
suffering of the civilian population by increasing its relief and emergency aid
activities.
On 5 September, the delegation conducted a field trip in
Rafah, where they met the President of the Olympic Committee for the
Handicapped, Yusef Shehada, and handicapped sportsmen Rami Shabana and Abd El-Qadir
Abu Libda. The delegation listened to the impact of the Israeli closure on the
activities of the 3 sports figures.
It is noted that PCHR has hosted a number of international
delegations visiting the OPT to assess the situation and conditions of the
civilian population in the OPT. These delegations included the Euro-Med Human
Rights Network, International Commission of Jurists, EU Diplomatic delegation,
as well as representatives of several EU States.
Front Line was founded in Dublin in 2001 with the specific
aim of protecting Human Rights Defenders, people who work, non-violently, for
any or all of the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR). Front Line aims to address some of the needs identified by defenders
themselves, including protection, networking, training and access to
international bodies that can take action on their behalf. PCHR is a partner to
Front Line; and both organizations have cooperated in the preparation of a
special report issued by Front Line on the situation of human rights defenders
in the OPT. The report was published in February 2006.
