The Size of Destruction in Gaza Raised the Ire of Visiting US Lawmakers Kerry, Ellison, and Baird

UNRWA: The size of destruction in Gaza raised the ire of visiting US lawmakers

[ 23/02/2009 - 01:23 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Commissioner-general of UNRWA Karen Abu Zayd on Sunday hailed the unexpected visit made by US lawmakers Kerry, Ellison, and Baird to the Gaza Strip, noting that they were shocked and expressed resentment and outrage to see the enormity of devastation caused by the Israeli war.

In a press statement received by the PIC, Abu Zayd said that this visit provided an important signal from the US government that it was ready to come to Gaza in order to examine humanitarian conditions and formulate an impression which was unlikely before.

The UNRWA head expressed optimism that this visit would be followed by positive political moves.

US senator John Kerry and members of the house of representatives Brian Bird and Alison Keith had made a tour in different parts of Gaza to see the impacts of the last Israeli war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the direct talks held by some European countries with Hamas in parallel with the inauguration of Barack Obama as a US president raised the fears of Israeli leaders, according to Israeli press sources

The Israeli leaders expressed their fear that the new American administration would follow suit and seek to hold meetings with Hamas, the sources added. In another context, Abdelrahman Al-Attiyah, the secretary-general of the Gulf cooperation council (GCC), announced at the end of an emergency meeting of foreign and finance ministers of the Arab Gulf states that the ministers decided to establish a fund for the reconstruction of Gaza.

Attiyah said that this fund would be open to the rest of Arab countries willing to join it, adding that the fund would finance and oversee the reconstruction projects directly without giving any funds to any Palestinian party.

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