Sunday, May 29, 2011

Italian delegation to visit Gaza Strip. Not without problems

The Province of Rome is the first Italian institutional body to enter the Gaza Strip after the operation Lead Time. Last week an official delegation headed by the Provincial Council of the Left and Freedom Gianluca Peciola visited Israel in Gaza and from there to observe the living conditions of the population of the Gaza Strip and encourage, through the implementation of certain projects, breaking down ' Israeli embargo imposed isolation.

"Despite all the permits to enter Gaza were in good standing from the start, about ten days ago, Israel has maintained his delegation stalling for nearly a week," says Peciola, who is also vice-chairman of the Environment Committee. Three times they went to the Erez crossing is completely blocked by Israel, which lets in only the sick and goods assessed as meeting the status of exceptionality, at the discretion of the Israelis.

"The cooperative is denied any possibility of access," says Peciola "while we, we were an official delegation of an institutional body we struggled." They managed to enter the third attempt by the dedication of the Italian Consulate. During one of the attempts made to enter the delegation found itself at the Erez Crossing during the protests of the Palestinians.

It was May 15, day of the Nakba, the 'disaster', name given to the Arab world and the Palestinian exodus following the creation of the State of Israel. In the story of the provincial council "have heard the shots also very strong, like guns, beyond the wall and we were locked up at the checkpoint, only to be removed for safety reasons." "The organization of the trip was approved by the Province last year with a motion made after the attack on the Freedom Flottille" Peciola continues, "what struck me most is the vitality of the youth of Gaza, artists and students, many of whom want a secular state and modern, without radical Islam.

They need to open and the end of an embargo that affects the living part of the Gaza Strip and makes a big prison, clamoring to get out of a 'nightmare'. Even so I want to stress the importance of the words of President Napolitano on the relaunch of peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

" The delegation also met the guys from the March 15 movement, born with a protest against the government of Hamas and this severely repressed. With them was working the Italian activist killed in April, Vittorio Arrigoni. "We recalled Arrigoni with the children of the movement who composed a beautiful rap song dedicated to Vittorio, there were posters dedicated to him in the West Bank," continues Peciola "those of the March 15 movement are young people who are fighting for a Palestinian state modern and in peace.

To this were immediately deemed inconvenient by Hamas, that out of the position of gradual isolation and pursuing new popularity has chased the positions of the young people of Gaza by signing the agreement with Fatah. " In addition to the staff of the province also were part of some members of the NGO Un Ponte Per and Nexus Modena Emilia Romagna and the Committee meets Jenin.

The projects that have brought about recovery in Gaza Middle Area, an area of the Strip, through the development co-financed by the Province of home gardens to recover degraded areas through green spaces and sports and cultural exchange program between our country and Gaza Strip. By partnering with some local sports associations will be held in September in Rome a football tournament in memory of Vittorio Arrigoni and is expected to attend a women's football team from the Palestinian city.

Alessandro Micci

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