As talk circulates of another Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip,A high-ranking European parliamentary delegation arrived Friday in the Gaza Strip to express solidarity with the besieged Gaza people and to see by themselves the effects of the Israeli war on Gaza.
The ECESG worked for one and a half months to obtain permission for the delegation to enter Gaza.
The delegation, which comprises 56 parliament members from 12 European countries and the European Union, is headed by Sir Gerald Kaufman, a veteran British MP.
They crossed into Gaza on Friday afternoon through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt where they were received by an official Palestinian parliamentary delegation headed by the first deputy speaker Dr. Ahmad Bahar.
Speaking at a news conference at the Rafah crossing, Sir Gerald Kauffman said that the visit of the delegation was a message of solidarity with Gaza and called for an end to the Israeli siege.
He also said: "anybody who uses white phosphorous should be arrested and should be tried for war crimes".
Kauffman said that while many Israeli leaders avoid travelling to European countries for fear of being arrested, we know that there are 1.5 million human beings in the Gaza Strip suffering because of the Israeli siege.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the PLC, told reporters that the visiting delegation know the extent of destruction caused by the Israeli war on Gaza, but now they will see that destruction by themselves

"They will meet with Gaza lawmakers, ministers and the committee documenting war crimes, in addition to a number of nongovernmental organizations working in Gaza."

The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza, based in Brussels, organized the visit. Other delegations of members of parliament have entered Gaza with the organization's coordination, as well as convoys of medical aid.
After leaving the Gaza Strip on Jan. 17, the delegation of MPs will meet with a number of Egyptian officials and Amr Moussa, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.


"We will call on Egypt to ease the restrictions on the movement and trade of the Palestinians of Gaza via the Rafah Crossing. They only hurt ordinary people trying to support their families,” said Dr. Arafat Shoukri (Madi), Chair of the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza. “We also will urge the Arab League and the countries it represents to work together as one bloc to pressure all parties to end the siege as well as to help the Palestinian factions end their internal dispute that only prolongs the suffering of their people.”
The ECESG (www.savegaza.eu) is an umbrella body of non-governmental organizations across Europe that advocates the fundamental right of the Palestinian people in Gaza to live in peace and dignity without being subjected to any form of collective punishment such as the cutting of supplies of food, fuel and medicine or their denial of free access to travel outside Gaza Strip. The ECESG supports the restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people in Gaza and lobbies for pressure to be exerted on the occupying power to lift its siege and end the human tragedy there. It urges the participation of politicians and non-politicians alike to honor their duty to stop the suffering of one and a half million people trapped in Gaza under the most inhumane conditions.

Agencies/Ab