The situation in Gaza has attracted a lot of attention in Parliament, not surprisingly. There were a large number of MPs trying to get in to ask questions of the Foreign Secretary on Monday and Tuesday. We'll be having a full day debate here in the Commons on Thursday. I've put in to speak, and hopefully will be able to get in as there will be a few hours for debate.
Yesterday, I went to the Parliamentary launch of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, of which I was one of the first MP supporters. This link gives more details.
I'm also keen to publicise an event being organised in my constituency on Saturday 7th February by a local resident who spent his holiday picking olives in the West Bank, details here.
Edinburgh North & Leith is also the home to the Palestinian Fair Trade shop Hadeel, who I have supported on a number of occasions. They have just sent this report from their partners in Gaza, which deserves wide publicity:
Friends, we at Hadeel have been trying to put together some information about our Gaza partners: Sulafa Embroidery Project, Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children and Near East Council of Churches (NECC). It was obvious that it would take some time, as of course staff are not getting to work; many people do not get out of their own homes or are in shelters, as you know. However, the new Executive Director of Atfaluna (www.atfaluna.net) has managed to receive and send some emails from a local cafe. There has been no word from Sulafa but being part of UNRWA (www.un.org/unrwa) their spokespeople have been very busy with relief and emergency distribution of course. NECC (www.neccgaza.org) has been involved in food distribution programs. Atfaluna is the only one to have suffered damage to property as far as we know (see below) but as the school was closed, no staff or children were injured then. Of course it is likely that some, or their families, would have been during this terrible onslaught.
1. Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, Gaza City/ Gaza Strip
Email sent on 30 December 2008 by Nabil El Sharif (Director ASDC)
Thank you for your email and your support. You probably have been watching the news; it has been extremely difficult and terrifying situation. Gaza has never been under such heavy air strikes since 1967. For the fourth night in a row, we could not sleep because of the continues bombing all over the city. It is really a terrifying experience. The streets are near empty of any cars or people. Food is available, but the electricity got cut off last night after a big explosion.
We decided to shut down our operation until next Sunday; it is really unsafe to bring the children or the employees to work. We just have to wait and see how this situation is going to develop.
When we go back to work, I am sure we will be able to assess the situation of our children and their families. In the time being, we just need you emotional support and prayers.
from 7 Jan.
Yesterday night, the buildings of the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children were damaged due to a nearby bombing. As ASDC suspended its services, no one was injured. Almost all windows and window frames facing the street were shattered and destroyed (class rooms and administrations). Luckily enough, there was no fire.
The situation seems to be generally more quiet in some areas; however, there is heavy bombing in the northern and eastern part of the Gaza Strip. Yesterdays bombing of an UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) School in Gaza that led to a high number of civilian deaths, however, was a big shock to the management of ASDC.
According to Nabil El Sharif, the Executive Director of Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, the UNRWA Blind School has not been damaged so far. [ed. The Blind School is adjacent to the Sulafa shop our group visited in July, so hopefully Sulafa property is all right too]
The following is from the former ED, Gerry Shawa, whom the group met in July. She has moved permanently away from Gaza now.
"I am so fortunate that I got out just in time - in fact only the day before the cease fire ended."
"Gaza is weighing so heavily on my heart and I am so deeply agonized by what is going on. I pray continually for so many innocent people caught up in all of this. Sadly there is simply no place for the people of Gaza to hide: no aid raid shelters, no safe havens, and no fleeing to another country as the borders are closed. The UN tried to help by offering their schools and giving the coordinates to the IDF, but I guess you know what happened there. Atfaluna has sustained a lot of damage - no doubt in the tens of thousands of dollars - but I am thankful that no one was in the building at the time. With the embargo still in place, it will be extremely difficult to repair things. I am sure that the children and staff will need a great deal of help once things have calmed down. I do not think anyone knows yet of the injuries and deaths amongst staff and students and their families, but I am sure there must be some since many of the children live in the very marginalized areas that were hardest hit. No doubt everyone has been very traumatized by this - but children, in particular, are the most vulnerable and will need the most help."
2. The Near Council Of Churches (NECC)
There are abour 2000 Christians amongst the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza. NECC runs drop-in primary care clinics (supported by Christian Aid). During the crisis the clinics had been operating as emergency medical centres, but at times have had to suspend activities because staff can’t travel to work in safety and patients who need care can’t get to the health centres because they are situated in areas which have been evacuated due to Israeli operations.
NECC say if the security situation changed - if the fighting stopped - the clinics could operate and provide essential medical care straight away.
One NECC staff member, who is available for interview, but doesn’t wish to be named for fear of reprisal, said:
“The weather is cold, and there has been no electricity for 3 days: 'All Gaza is dark'. No electricity, therefore no heating. It is the coldest time of year and after 4:30pm it is dark. It is frightening and it is not safe to walk outside. Can you imagine 1.5 million people living in the dark and cold?”
“You have to wait three hours to buy bread at the ovens in the shops. There are queues of 700 people for bread. I can't remember a time like this. We are human beings - children and women are under the bombing; we don't have any defences. We are in a hopeless situation; we need anyone to help us. “
“My family had a permit to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem. I had to return home on Friday so didn't make it to join my wife in the West Bank, and we are apart for Christmas and New Year for the first time ever. She is not able to join me now and I cannot leave Gaza, all because of the bombing.”
----
Hadeel has a special section of goods from Gaza for sale in the shop. Attached is a list of things available in case mail order customers want to show solidarity in this way (normal terms apply). A wider range of products from these suppliers and from other community groups from Gaza is available in the shop, or phone for further information.
The ironic unfortunate surety, however, is that we will not be able to replace this stock in the near future. Even before the current crisis, Israel was making the export of Palestinian goods from Gaza almost impossible.
Some of us may want to contribute to the many emergency appeals - especially perhaps those of our sister organisations in Rediscovering Palestine or the Scottish Palestinian Forum - e.g. BibleLands, Christian Aid, Medical Aid for Palestine. We can also, through Palcrafts, claim gift aid on individuals' donations and forward the augmented amount to organisations like NECC.
With all possible good wishes,
Hannah, Ross and Carol
Charity No. 033983
www.hadeel.org
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Bring back our buses!
Amongst all the other bad news around, news has come in of even more cutbacks in local bus services. Along with my MSP colleague Malcolm Chisholm, we've taken up with the Council and Lothian buses the cuts in a number of bus services which were announced a few months ago. And, slipped out just before Christmas is the news that there is to be another big round of bus cutbacks - and they will be coming into force as early as this Sunday. In the Edinburgh North & Leith area, the 17 and X12 are to be taken off completely - and services are to be cut on the 7, 10, 23, 26, 42 and 44 (there may be others which haven't been publicised).
The line coming from the City Council is that these cuts, along with the fare increases, are due to the economic downturn and cost increases. I find that hard to accept - after all, people have still to get around, and if anything I would have thought it people might be MORE likely to leave the car at home and take the bus. And as far as putting it down to cost increases, I thought that the cost of fuel had gone down again sharply
The line coming from the City Council is that these cuts, along with the fare increases, are due to the economic downturn and cost increases. I find that hard to accept - after all, people have still to get around, and if anything I would have thought it people might be MORE likely to leave the car at home and take the bus. And as far as putting it down to cost increases, I thought that the cost of fuel had gone down again sharply
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