[WCUSP] [womeninblack] Shameful humanitarian tragedy at Rafah - Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the European Parliament

[yvonne simmons]

From: MORGANTINI Luisa 
PRESS RELEASE
  LUISA MORGANTINI MEP
 Vice President of the European Parliament
 
 
 
 Shameful humanitarian tragedy at Rafah - thousands
 of Palestinians stuck without humanitarian
 assistance
 
 
 
 
 Rome, 28 June 2007 
 
 
 
 "While Israel carries on with its criminal air raids
 on the Gaza Strip, which have killed 14 people and
 injured about 50 people in the last two days, and
Hamas persists with the rocket bombardments on
 Sderot, fortunately without victims,  another 
 shameful  tragedy is taking place at Rafah",
 declared Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the
 European Parliament.  
 
 
 "4000 Palestinians: elderly and ill people,
 children, women and men are currently stuck at the
 Rafah border crossing, the southern border of the
 Gaza strip with Egypt. They are waiting under the
 burning sun, 42 C° degrees, without money and with
 scarce water and food ".
 
  
 These 4000 people do not receive any humanitarian
 aid, any assistance from international organizations
 or from the Egyptian government.  
 
 The hygienic and logistical situation is completely
 improper, especially considering that in the group
 there are a lot of ill people, who are coming back
 from Egyptian Hospitals, trying to go back to their
 homes. 
 
 
 
  Those who can afford it spend their nights in very
 expensive hotels, others are completely abandoned
 and they have not even the means to buy medicines. 
 
 
 
 After Israel's withdrawal from the Strip in
 September 2005, the border was controlled by the
 Palestinian National Authority with the support of
 about 70 European observers.  
 
Since June 2006, when the Israeli soldier, Ghilad
 Shalit, was kidnapped in Gaza, Israel has authorised
 the opening of the border for only 74 days out of
 365. 
 
 After  the recent  inter-Palestinian clashes, that
 have resulted in victory for Hamas in Gaza, Israel
 has decided to make the crisis even worse, through
 indiscriminate  raids on the Strip and through the 
 closure of the  border crossing both for people and 
 commercial goods. 
 
 
 
 "This situation has to stop, but Egypt declares
 itself ready to re-open the borders - the only way
 out to the rest of the world for the million and a
 half Palestinians living in Gaza -only when the
 Europeans in charge of supervision return. 
 
 Thus, completely ignoring, just like Israel or the
 international community, that there are thousands of
 people who live in desperate conditions for the last
 two weeks". 


 "I call on the European Union and the whole
 international community not to stay static in front
 of the Palestinian population which has been wounded
 for the hundredth time. I call on them to put
pressure on the Israeli government instead, to
 immediately re-open all the border crossing points
 at the Gaza Strip, in which Palestinian civilians
 are arbitrarily and unilaterally imprisoned and
 forced to survive with no food, nor water and with a
 health service on the verge of collapse.
 
 
 
 Finally, I believe that the endorsement of this
 appeal by the new elected Special Envoy of the
 Quartet, Tony Blair, would be a significant signal,
 a first step to give credibility to his role towards
 the Palestinian and Arab population, sceptical to
 the neutrality of one of the main promoters of the
 Iraqi disaster and strong supporter of an aggressive
 US foreign policy."
 
 
 
 "The solution to the Palestinian tragedy, which is
 not just a humanitarian matter, lies in the end of
 the Israeli military occupation; nevertheless we
 must act now on daily living conditions", Luisa
 Morgantini concludes.
 
 
 
 Further   information:   Luisa Morgantini 0039 348
 39 21 465   or Office in BXL ph. +32 2 28 45151 
 luisa.morgantini at europarl.eruropa.eu
 


       
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