More than 20 senior European diplomats visited Gaza on Tuesday, calling for the Israeli blockade on the impoverished Palestinian enclave to be lifted.
Ambassadors from 22 European Union states visited Gaza to assess the state of reconstruction in the area, in a trip organized and led by the EU.
It was the first such delegation since late 2014, which took place after Israel’s 50-day offensive on Gaza in the same year which left 2,251 Palestinians dead, according to the United Nations.
EU diplomats call on Israel to end Gaza siege https://t.co/Pc9VlCXbU6
— Ben White (@benabyad) November 8, 2016
Ralph Tarraf, head of the EU delegation to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, called for “steps to bring about a political, security and economic change.”
He said all sides should work towards “ending the closure, taking into account the legitimate security concerns of the Gaza Strip’s neighbours.”
The EU provides around $330,000 million (300 million euros) to the Palestinian people annually, with almost half of this going to Gaza, a spokesman said.
(Daily Mail, PC)
