Mr. Raji Sourani:

There is no movement of goods or individuals. The Israelis are in full control and decide what kind of food we can eat, what kind of clothes we wear and what comes in or out of Gaza. The Israeli High Court of Justice shamefully stated in response to a petition we submitted that nobody should worry about famine in Gaza because Israel counts how many calories each Gazan gets and will ensure nobody dies from hunger. If this is not racism, how else does one describe it?

Trying to move is a mission impossible. As many as 99.99% of residents are unable to move anywhere. A very small percentage, perhaps between 1,000 and 8,000 people from a population of 2 million, are able to move between Gaza and the West Bank. These are businessmen, some Palestinian Authority officials and some sick people who occasionally receive medical care in Israeli hospitals. They move through the Erez checkpoint or Egypt, which opens the crossing at Rafah every two or three months. The Sinai is a dangerous place to travel through but fortunately 4,000 or 5,000 are able to cross at Rafah. Movement outside Gaza is almost a mission impossible.

Regarding the construction of Gaza, after three wars one can physically see the destruction and smell death all over Gaza. The destruction is almost intact and nothing has been reconstructed. UNRWA suggests that, at current levels, it will take between 25 and 30 years to reconstruct Gaza. We are talking about the results of the war. Some 65% of the population of Gaza are either unpaid or unemployed, 90% live under the poverty line and 85% are entirely dependent on UNRWA's food programme, the World Food Programme, etc. Practically-speaking, we have been shifted to become a nation of beggars. Are we so? We have no illiteracy in Gaza and one of the highest percentage of university graduates on earth. We have a strong and skilled business community and a highly skilled working class. However, we do not have a right to be normal and use our potential. We are not even allowed to treat our water or sewage, which is completely polluting our beaches and water table, making the water undrinkable. All this is taking place in the name of security. Our fisherman are not allowed to fish more than three nautical miles from the coast. Farmers in Gaza, which is a tiny place, are not allowed to farm within 1 km of the borders.

Israel is making our lives hell. We only have electricity for six hours each day. We are not allowed to extract and use our gas, which lies just offshore. In simple words, the situation is the biggest man-made disaster in modern history. The law of the jungle applies in that part of the world. That is not a secret and most members are aware of the position. This information has been published by us and all human rights organisations and, therefore, nobody can say, "We did not know." The question is why Israel is not held accountable for the war crimes and crimes against humanity it is perpetrating. I hope the conscience of the world, especially in western Europe, wakes up and follows the good example of Ireland in supporting the rule of law, rather than the law of the jungle.