Ref: 49/2002
A delegation from the International
Parliament of Writers expressed its shock and outrage at the human rights
and humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT)
yesterday after a one-day visit to the Gaza strip organised by PCHR.
Speaking at a press conference at PCHR headquarters in Gaza city, the writers, including Nobel laureates José Saramago of Portugal and Wole Soyinka of Nigeria, also affirmed their solidarity with the Palestinian people. Russell Banks of the United States, the president of the International Parliament of Writers, expressed the delegation's sympathy with the Palestinian people for the suffering it has endured as a result of the Israeli occupation, telling them, "You are not alone." Banks added that although the writers in the delegation came from different continents, they all felt an ethical duty to speak out against Israel's policies in the OPT. The writers stressed that they had not anticipated the severity and scope of violations of human rights of Palestinian civilians in the OPT until their visit.
When asked about previous comments comparing the plight of Palestinians in the OPT to the situation in Auschwitz during World War II, Saramago replied: "I have said what I have said. Perhaps you could replace the word 'Auschwitz' with 'crimes against humanity'; you can choose. For me, the terms are not important, for the essence is the same." Recounting how he had personally witnessed the effects of Israel's mass house demolitions, siege and closure, and overwhelming use of military power against a civilian population, he asked rhetorically: "Is this civilisation? Can we call this democracy?"
Earlier in the day, the delegation toured the Gaza strip, stopping at al-Tuffah checkpoint in Khan Yunis and the Block O area of Rafah refugee camp, both sites of mass house demolition by Israeli occupying forces during the al-Aqsa Intifada. The delegation met with residents of these areas, as well as municipal leaders, and witnessed firsthand the human rights situation in the Gaza strip, especially the effects of the comprehensive siege and closure policy. The delegation also spent several hours waiting at Israeli military checkpoints with hundreds of Palestinian civilians. They were escorted throughout the day by PCHR Director Raji Sourani, UNRWA Deputy Commissioner General Karen Abu Zayed, PLO representative to France Laila Shaheed, and others.
After the tour, the writers visited PCHR's headquarters in Gaza, where they told reporters about their impressions. Banks noted that he was struck by the contrast between Jerusalem and nearby Jewish settlements, which to him seemed artificially imposed upon the landscape, while Breyten Breytenbach of South Africa noted that the situation in Gaza reminded him of his own country before the end of apartheid. Saramago, who had been accused in Israeli media of being a victim of Palestinian propaganda, said, "It is perhaps better to be a victim of cheap Palestinian propaganda than of expensive Israeli media."
Later, the delegation met with Palestinian civil society leaders and artists, including: Dr. Heydar Abdel Shafi; Dr. Eyad Sarraj, Director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme; Hassan al-Kashif of the Ministry of Information; the writer Abdullah Tayeh; the poets Baasem al-Nabris and Ahmad Dahbour; and journalists Riyadh al-Hassan, Talal Okel, and Hani Habib. During the exchange, Palestinian civil society leaders expressed their appreciation to the writers for their visit.
The visited lasted for three days and was undertaken upon the invitation of the Palestinian writer Mahmoud Darwish. The other members of the International Parliament of Writers in the delegation were: Vincenzo Consolo (Italy), Bei Dao (China), Juan Goytisolo (Spain), and Christian Salmon (France).