The sole benefit of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip has light-heartedly been said to be its containment of the H1N1 Swine Flu virus. Restrictions on movement in and out of this densely populated area as well as ever widening limitations on the import of much needed goods have meant that the virus has been kept at bay until now. Nevertheless, there has been growing fear that the emergence of just one case could trigger an epidemic when it inevitably finds its way in.

“In Conversation with John Ging” Head of UNWRA 
By
Dr Hanan Chehata
Press Officer, Middle East Monitor, London

This morning (November 30th) John Ging, the Head of the United Nation’s Relief and Works Agency (), hosted a discussion on the current crisis in the Gaza Strip. The closed seminar, which was co-hosted and organised by Oliver McTernan, Director of Forward Thinking and Dr Daud Abdullah Director of the Middle East Monitor, was attended by a small group of prominent individuals with a deep interest and commitment to the situation in the region. Those in attendance included Clare Short (MP), Jeremy Bowen (BBC), a representative of the Malaysian High Commissioner, a representative from Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP), Interpal, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and several members of the press.

The main focus of the discussion was the siege on Gaza and what needs to be done to alleviate the suffering of the 1.4 million Gazans trapped in the region.

Policy makers must go to Gaza and see the situation for themselves

John Ging started by giving an overview of the situation in Gaza. According to Ging, one of the main problems at the moment is simply that “the truth is not getting out.” What is happening on the ground is not being reported widely enough or accurately enough. Throughout the meeting one of Ging’s main action points was to suggest that people, particularly high profile policy makers, go to Gaza to see the situation for themselves. He stood firm by his conviction that if members of Parliament and Congress and governments around the world could see first hand what was going on in Gaza, they would be forced to implement a change in their policies in the region. “I am convinced that they will be compelled to do more if they see the situation for themselves”, he stated. It is not enough to just sit around a Foreign Ministry table and discuss the situation. The Ministers must first go out and see the situation with their own eyes and then go back and have their meeting, he argued. This is particularly important in the case of EU member states, he said and for the members of the Quartet.

International Palestine Solidarity Day marked with an urgent call for the international community to stop aiding and abetting Israeli oppression of the Palestinian people

By
Dr Hanan Chehata
Press Officer, Middle East Monitor, London

To mark this year's UN's International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) on Tuesday 24th hosted a meeting in the House of Commons on the subject of the implementation of the Goldstone Report, bringing Israeli War Criminals to justice and ending the siege on Gaza.

One common theme which underpinned the presentation of the speakers was that there was an urgent need to find some way of mobilising and maximising global support for the Palestinian cause.  Among the ideas discussed were legal, political and grassroots level strategies including the vital step of politically promoting international support for the Goldstone Report, preparing the path for the implementation of Universal Jurisdiction against Israeli War Criminals, being realistic and upfront about the vocabulary used in the debate on Palestine, mobilising support of members of the public and many others.

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By
Zulaikha Abdullah
Researcher / Editor, Middle East Monitor, London

In recent years, and particularly since the carnage wrought in its offensive on Gaza, Zionist Israel's discriminatory practices and treatment of Palestinians has become subject to increasing scrutiny and criticism by the international community, human rights and humanitarian organizations all reflecting a growing world-wide consensus and repulsion. Israel as a military occupation that implements racist policies against the non-Jewish populations both inside its borders and within the territories it occupies acts in flagrant breach of numerous UN resolutions and is condemned by various international conventions against racism. Yet, meaningful public debate of this pressing issue remains taboo and its very existence is generally ignored.