North West MEP appalled at Gaza destruction

A North West MEP has spoken of his horror and anger at witnessing the scale of destruction carried out by Israeli forces during their 22 day assault on the Gaza Strip.

Chris Davies was the only British politician to gain access to Gaza during the period of bombing, and is the first to have returned since its end.

The Liberal Democrat described the sight of schools that had been flattened, of tower blocks with entire sides missing, and of hundreds of tents erected on waste ground in a bid to shelter the homeless.

But he said the most shocking sight was that of industrial estates razed to the ground, factories burned out, and lorries and equipment deliberately destroyed.

He said: "Food processing plants, concrete manufacturers and biscuit makers, all have been obliterated, despite their owners making absolutely sure that the buildings were not being used by militants who could attract Israeli fire.

"Many thousands have been left unemployed and wholly dependent on aid. It is impossible to understand how the destruction of Gaza's economic infrastructure can possibly be of benefit to Israel. What was it all about?"

Davies said that 500 lorry loads of supplies were needed every day to meet the needs of the 1.5 million people in the Gaza Strip, but Israel was allowing only 130 through the checkpoints.

The MEP, who is a member of the European Parliament's Palestine Delegation, said that only 15 types of good were being permitted by the Israelis with everything else banned.

"Paper for schools, nappies, water purifying tablets, concrete for rebuilding, they are all prohibited," he explained. "The normal life of a big city is impossible."

Yet Davies believes that the worldwide outrage prompted by the disproportionate reponse to the firing of rockets by Palestinian fighters created an opportunity for progress.

He said: "For too long the USA and the EU have given unconditional support to Israel despite its military occupation of Palestine, but there are signs that our dual standards approach may at last be coming to an end."

EU ministers have suspended work on strengthening the existing partnership arrangement with Israel, while Barack Obama's appointment of Northern Ireland peace negotiator George Mitchell as special envoy may herald a breakthrough.

But Davies is concerned that Israeli citizens do not appreciate the horror of the situation in Gaza, where more than 400 children were killed and many thousands maimed by the actions of their troops.

He said: "In Gaza the talk was of war crimes and of making Israel accountable for its actions. But when I picked up newspapers in Tel Aviv they featured stories about whether too many young Israelis were getting tattoos!

"I don't think most Israelis have any real understanding of what they have done. Perhaps worse, I am concerned that too many do not want to know."