Published today (updated) 16/02/2010 20:08

Gaza – Ma’an –

A delegation of Arab lawmakers arrived in Gaza via Egypt on Monday in a bid to break an impasse in Palestinian unity efforts.

“We came to represent the Arab parliaments and the Arab nation. We came as 22 deputies who represent the Arab nation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf as a united nation,” the group said in a declaration upon arriving via the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing point.

“We want the Palestinian people to be united, as no party ever defeated its enemy when it was divided,” they added. “We ask you to unite in order to achieve the nation’s aim of establishing an independent Palestinian state.”

The delegation from the Arab Parliamentary Union included members from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Sudan, Kuwait, and Oman.

Ahmed Bahar, a Hamas leader and the deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), headed an official delegation in welcoming the lawmakers to Gaza.

Salem Ben Ali Al-Ka'abi, an MP from Oman who is leading the delegation, told Ma’an in an interview that the group aims at ending the Hamas-Fat'h rift. He said there is "great optimism about Palestinian reconciliation," in particular citing hopes that Hamas will sign on to an Egyptian-backed power sharing initiative.

Jamal Al-Khudari, a prominent independent academic who leads the Popular Committee against the Israeli siege of Gaza, hailed the delegation as a show of "support for Palestinian steadfastness in the face of Israeli intransigence, the tightening of the blockade, the closure of the crossings, and the ban on the entry of construction materials and all requirements for a decent life."

Israel sealed its borders with Gaza in June 2007 following Hamas’ violent takeover of the coastal territory. The takeover caused President Mahmoud Abbas to dissolve a Hamas-Fat'h unity government. The elected Hamas government maintains power only in Gaza, and is boycotted by most (pro-Israel) Western governments.

While in Gaza, the parliamentary delegation plans to hold talks with PLC members, representatives of Palestinian political factions, civil society groups, the parents of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, bereaved families, and visit the war-damaged Islamic University, and several locations bombed by the Israeli military during last year’s war. The group will also visit the cabinet of Prime Minister Ismail Haniya.

The Arab delegation arrives in Gaza amid slight signs of a thaw in the three-year-old Hamas-Fat'h struggle.

On Sunday, 13 Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fat'h, held a meeting in Gaza to underline their commitment to ending in-fighting. Earlier in February, senior Fat'h leader Nabil Sha’ath made a rare visit to Gaza, where he met with Haniya and other Hamas officials.

Syrian MP: The destruction in Gaza surpassed what the Nazis did

[ 16/02/2010 - 04:50 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Syrian lawmaker Mohamed Al-Zoghbi said Tuesday that the size of destruction which he and other members of the Arab parliamentary delegation saw in the Gaza Strip exceeded all expectations and surpassed what the Nazis did.

In a press statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC), Zoghbi stressed that the visit of the Arab lawmakers to Gaza was supposed to take place long time ago, noting that this visit is aimed to see the destruction inflicted on Gaza and convey the solidarity of Arab peoples to Gaza people.

For his part, Palestinian political analyst Mustafa Al-Sawaf played down the importance of the Arab delegation’s visit to Gaza, saying that this visit happened too late.

Sawaf added that this visit is only for media consumption and aimed to silence all those who criticize the Arab policies towards Gaza, affirming that that the steps taken by Arab regimes confirms the absence of a real will to support Gaza people.

“They came to the Gaza Strip without carrying any kind of aid to its besieged people and they also did not have a clear position regarding the iron wall which the Egyptian government is building,” he emphasized.

Arab Members of Parliament Arrive In Gaza

Tuesday February 16, 2010 06:01 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

A group of Arab members of parliament managed to cross into the Gaza Strip on Monday in a visit of solidarity with the Palestinian people living in the besieged, war-torn, and devastated coastal region.

The 25 visiting officials are headed by Dr. Salem Al Ka’by, from Oman, member of the Executive Committee of the Arab Parliamentary Union.

Dr. Ahmed Bahar, deputy head of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, and several government officials received the visiting delegates and thanked them for their visit that challenges the Israeli siege.

The officials would start their tour by meeting members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, representatives of different Palestinian factions, civil society institutions and parents of Palestinian detainees.

They will leave Gaza on Wednesday after visiting bereaved families, victims of the Israeli war on Gaza, and victims of the ongoing aggression.

The Palestinian Legislative Council described the visit as historic, and described it is an important step towards ending the siege.

Lebanese parliamentarian, Imad Al-Hout, said that this visit aims at sending a message to the people in Gaza that they are not alone, and that Arab nations support the Palestinians and their just cause.