Time to talk beyond Wales

The morning after the recent raid on the Gaza flotilla

I know some will argue that we do not have any responsibility for Foreign Affairs – but we do have a responsibility to reflect public opinion in Wales. This afternoon we will have an opportunity to raise concerns which have been voiced in Wales regarding the Israeli interception of the Free Gaza flotilla and the resulting loss of life. I last visited Gaza in November 2008 as part of the Free Gaza Campaign. We travelled by boat from Cyprus and were also challenged by the Israeli navy but fortunately we were not boarded and we managed to break the blockade.

I witnessed at first hand the devastation caused by the Israeli siege. I couldn’t envisage the situation getting any worse. The power supply was intermittent, food was in short supply and there was a general air of despair. I visited hospitals which had antiquated equipment and few medical resources especially in terms of essential medication. I was told that an estimated 250 patients had died because of these basic deficiencies. Obviously I couldn’t verify those numbers, but when I saw the emergency ward which had no emergency equipment it was easy to believe that many patients had died as a result of a lack of resources. In the school we visited the staff complained about the lack of pencils and paper. Back to basics, once again.

I had been invited to visit Gaza as part of an international delegation of elected members. Originally fifty nine politicians declared an interest in the visit but the arrangements became complicated. We were meant to fly to Cairo and travel through the Raffa Pass which would have been a fairly straight forward journey. However, having made positive sounds, the Egyptian government suddenly declined permission. There could have been many reasons for the decision but the most lightly was that the Israeli government had brought pressure to bear in order to postpone the visit.

Therefore, eventually, just eleven elected members from six parliaments flew to Cyprus and then undertook a fifteen hour boat journey to Gaza. The sea crossing was uneventful, for those of us who didn’t suffer from sea sickness, other than being challenged by an Israeli gun boat. We landed in Gaza to be met by an excited welcome party and at least fifty camera crews from Arabic television companies which was in stark contrast to the lack of interest which had been shown by the press and media in Western Europe.

The delegation itself was a fairly elective group of people. Claire Short, the former Labour Cabinet Minister and then independent MP, was the highest profile figure but there were also two members of the House of Lords, two from the Irish Parliament, three Scotish MSPs, one each from Italy and Switzerland, and myself from Wales. We had all shown an interest in the Middle East in the past but wanted to see at first hand what had happened in Gaza since Hamas swept to power in the 2006 election. The main intention of the visit was to quantify the effect of the siege of Gaza. It didn’t take long to understand that it meant that no-one or indeed anything could enter or leave without the permission of Israel. The immediate impact was that the economy of Gaza had collapsed.

Some have argued that Hamas are terrorists and that they have brought the siege and its consequences upon themselves. I can only say that they are the democratically elected government of the people of Gaza and – without justifying all their actions – there will be no peace or stability in the Middle East unless Hamas are brought to the negotiating table. After all, a few years ago Nelson Mandela was described as a terrorist. We were the first and last delegation of elected parliamentarians to have a formal meeting with the Hamas Prime Minister and his Cabinet.

The hotel we stayed at had once offered five star accommodation but had hardly been used since 2006. The swimming pool had been left to deteriorate and the garden leading to the beach was overgrown. This was a microcosm of the economy – plenty of potential but no activity. The housing situation was dire. Limited and basic accommodation, a lack of supply of clean water and no consistent supply of heat and light. But this would have been a life of luxury for the tens of thousands housed in refugee camps some of whom had been there since the 1967 war. Many of the roads had been damaged and any maintenance was crude to say the least. Raw sewage ran alongside many of these roads.

In Wales we argue that an under performing economy and bad housing has had an adverse effect on health levels. In Gaza this was very evident especially among children. However, the population remained resilient, optimistic and surprisingly lacking in bitterness. Their only wish was to be offered a basic standard of life and for their human rights to be recognised and respected. There was little talk of revenge although they felt that their plight had been conveniently forgotten by those countries who freely talk of an ethical foreign policy and defending democratic rights.

On our last day in Gaza we visited the power station. It was about to close down because Israel had refused diesel and oil to cross the border.

I was glad to raise these concerns on my return to Wales. The recent actions of the Israeli government have again led to calls in Wales for justice in Gaza and for the Palestinians. It is right that we should debate this issue in National Assembly for Wales. I am glad that I have, with my colleagues Alun Davies, David Melding and Jenny Randerson, been able to table the motion for debate this afternoon.