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Palestinian NGOs, human rights organizations, agricultural and fishing sectors as well as affected by Israeli summer war in Gaza Strip people directed an urgent appeal to the participating parties in the Gaza reconstruction conference held in Egypt’s Cairo to contribute and support the various affected sectors in the war torn Gaza Strip and accelerate the process of reconstruction and end the blockade of Gaza Strip without conditions and restrictions.
On Sunday, the Palestinian NGOs Network PNGO held conference besides the rubles of the Italian residential complex that Israel occupation F16 jet fighters stroke and completely destroyed leveling in to ground in the summer war.
Various sectors of Palestinian civil society organizations and people affected by war those who left homeless participated in the conference along with farmers and fishermen who have been affected by the Israeli blockade, aggression and war in Gaza.
Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, in his speech praised Egypt’s efforts to organize and host donors conference for Gaza reconstruction that comes along with its support to the Palestinian people against the Israeli aggression and its backing to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians. Shawa said, “this conference was chosen to be held today to coincide the Gaza donors conference in Cairo to stress importance of the reconstruction of Gaza and the need to rebuilt what were destroyed by Israeli occupation during and before the war.” Shawa stated that the conference was held within the participation of all sectors of the Palestinian society to raise the voice of all these sectors in the face of Israeli brutal practices and aggression against people and to call the occupation to fully end the siege of Gaza as a prerequisite to start the construction and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Muhsen Abu Ramadan, chairman of the Palestinian NGOs Network, for his part said “the conference is held besides the ruins of the destroyed high building as a message to the donors conference to speed up efforts to end Gaza blockade and enter the construction materials freely into the Strip.” Abu Ramadan explained that the conference held in solidarity with people who lost their homes, farms and properties but did not lost hope in Cairo’s conference that they wish its results will be turned into actions amid the waiting of 100.000 displaced Palestinians live in very harsh conditions in shelters. Issam Younis, director of Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, for his part said, ” During the 50 day war, the Israeli occupation destroyed infrastructure of the Gaza Strip including homes, residential building, factories, and shops, and this requires us to hold the occupation the accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people so as to prevent their recurrence in the future.” Younis called to speed up the accession to Roma Statue of the International Criminal Court. He demanded the international community to lift the blockade of Gaza and allow the reconstruction materials to reconstruct the Gaza Strip. He stressed the rejection to UN’s plan for the reconstruction of Gaza and the Israeli blockade, saying, “the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip would be impossible without a full lifting of the Israeli blockade as well.” A Palestinian previous resident of Italian complex, Yousri Darwish one of those affected and left homeless as his apartment along with 50 other apartments including clinics and shops were leveled to the ground Darwish said “displacement imposed by the occupation on us the Palestinian people won’t deter us from steadfastness and struggle to rebuild all what were destroyed by Israeli occupation. Darwish demanded the Palestinian Authority to form a national body for the reconstruction of Gaza to include the affected families as partners in the plan and monitor the reconstruction process and speed up the implementation of the reconstruction plan. He meanwhile demanded the international community to lift the blockade of Gaza to facilitate the reconstruction process and the rehabilitation of the infrastructure.
Said Al-Jamal, Gaza farmer for his part as a representative of the affected farmers stressed on the necessary need to rehabilitate the infrastructure of the agricultural sector including the affected and harmed wells and agricultural roads and irrigation networks. He stressed the need to compensate the farmers for their losses and necessity to provide a protect for the Palestinian product and open local, Arab, and international markets for the Palestinian products to be exported outside world. Al-Jamal meanwhile demanded to allocate of a share of the Palestinian Authority’s budget to support the agricultural sector and speed up compensation for the affected farmers. Fisherman Zakaria Bakr on behalf of all Gaza fishermen defend the right of the fishermen to fish in any sea area belonging to Palestinians with no restrictions or imposed bans. Bakr called on the donor states to address the Israeli occupation’s violations against the Palestinian fishermen, the arrests, shootings on fishermen and their boats and boat’s confiscation specifically after reaching the ceasefire agreement in August since then 11 fishermen were arrested by Israeli occupation navy. Baker demanded the donor states to exert efforts and lift all imposed by Israeli occupation buffer zones to let the Palestinian fishermen fishing in freedom and dignity without fear. He called them too to support and aid the Palestinian people to reconstruct and rehabilitated all what were destroyed by the occupation. — PNGO director Gaza
Amjad Shawa