Middle East
In January 2007, Baba Ghai was joined by Kusam Vedhara, Ms Kiran Bali MBE JP and Andrew Singh Bogan in a pan-European Middle East Peace Initiative delegation comprising of the executive mayors of Watford and Bruges and a team of civil servants, journalists and conflict resolution analysts.
Delegates were given highly priveleged access across the West Bank for independent reviews of conditions in schools and refugee camps in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt). Detailed briefings by United Nations OCHA (Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Jerusalem were followed by multi-party talks with members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Mayor of Bethleham and meetings with Members of Knesset (Israeli Parliament).
We listened to the countless personal tragedies of Israelis and Palestinians alike, now united in tears and memories of lost love. Six in every 10 Palestinians live in abject poverty and the oPt is the 3rd largest humanitarian crisis in the world (after D R Congo and Chad). Public services had been paralysed for 12 months before our arrival and the Palestinian Authority (PA) was collapsing under a US$572 shortfall in salaries owed to the public sector, which had staged an en masse strike since September 2006.
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Amnesty International
Minister for International Development
Minister for Minorities (Pakistan)
The West Bank was further brought to its knees by the accumulative effect of an international community aid embargo (in protest against the 2006 election of Hamas) and a complete cut-off from trade and tourism income caused by the Government of Israel's Security Barrier.
"Thank you for not standing by like the Free World did during the Holocaust. You prove the world still cares." Rami Elhanan Bereaved Family Forum
The Palestinian Authority were also denied US$100m customs revenue, withheld by the Government of Israel in contravention of the 1994 Treaty of Paris. We raised this issue during scheduled meetings at the Israeli Knesset and former Transport Minister Ran Cohen MK pledged to highlight our report on the Cabinet's agenda. To our delight, on 18th January 2007 the revenue income was paid with provisions to ensure it was directly invested into designated health projects.
Member of Pakistan Senate
International Commission of Human Rights
We have since lobbied Secretary of State for International Development, Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP to review the on-going aid embargo and consider increased direct assistance to hospitals in oPt, as per the adopted policy of the Government of Israel.
Bethleham University
National Council for Inter-faith Dialogue
Pakistan
Talitha Welfare Centre
In collaboration with AAFS (Pakistan) General Secretary Dr Munawar Chand, our projects in Pakistan have become beacons of religious freedom and minority community empowerment.
In addition to the landmark restoration of religious and projects such as Krishna Mandir and Hindu/Sikh natural cremation grounds, we have also been dedicated to pioneering multi-lateral faith dialogue and promoting women's rights.
On 1st December 2006, the Womens Protection Act introduced landmark reforms in the face of fierce traditionalist opposition. During the fractious debate that culminated in the parliamentary vote, we made impassioned pleas at public forums throughout Pakistan.
Christian Lawyers Forum
