By IRNA
London : Welsh nationalist Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans embarked on a fact-finding trip to besieged Gaza Tuesday, calling on the EU to play a stronger, more independent role in promoting peace and justice for Palestinians and ending the Israeli occupation.
Evans is part of a delegation from the European parliament, which last week strong criticized the EU for failing to stand up to US foreign policy, despite being a member of the Middle East Quartet.
“The plight of Palestinians living in the Gaza strip is of desperate concern and I hope to get a first hand view of the situation next week,” the Plaid Cymru MEP said before departing.
She warned that the people in Gaza are “deprived of basic resources like electricity, clean water, medicine and food. Gaza has become one huge prison.”
“It is disappointing that the EU, as a major aid donor in the region, is failing to take a stronger line on the Israeli blockade of the territory,” Evans said.
“This six-month long blockade was made worse by the total border closure imposed by Israel earlier this month. This is collective punishment and illegal under international law as well as being morally abhorrent,” she said.
The 48-year old MEP, who represents the whole of Wales, said that vital supplies of electricity and fuel, water, food, medicines and other supplies have been cut off to the men, women and children living there.
“This is a human catastrophe. It is reported that over 65 people have died already because they have been refused medical treatment. We cannot just stand by and do nothing,” she warned.
During her visit, she said she would be meeting and talking to people in Gaza and reporting back to people in Wales on “what we can do to help bring this terrible suffering to an end.”