Camden friendship group working to ease plight of Palestinians

01 February 2007

Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association would like to draw attention to our contribution to the committee on the situation in Palestine - The House of Commons International Development Committee Report Development Assistance and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.. It is sombre reading, because the situation in Palestine is very bad .

In Abu Dis, the little town that now has friendship links with Camden groups, major issues for people's lives are the Separation Wall, "closures" and checkpoints, arrests and invasions by the occupying army. During the last year, the boycotting of the Palestinian Authority by the West has also had a severe effect on people's health and livelihood of people there.

CADFA is a human rights organisation local to Camden which organises links between Camden and Abu Dis people. Our contribution to this report links the efforts of the people of Camden directly to the situation in the Middle East.

As well as visits in both directions and the exchange of information, CADFA has run a number of projects in Abu Dis. During the last year, we have been able to collect information each month on violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law in the area of Abu Dis. These reports (available on the website) were among the evidence we sent in to the House of Commons Committee.

The International Development Committee report is notable because it calls for a reassessment of the government's approach to the situation in Palestine. It stresses the extremely difficult situation that the Palestinian people are living under, and shows that the situation is deteriorating.

The Committee points out that it is the actions of the Government of Israel that are making life so difficult for people in Palestine, and ultimately suggests that our own government reconsider its acceptance of what Israel does. For example, the Committee questions the policy of isolating a directly elected Palestinian government, questions the special trading position accorded to Israel while fairness is not given to the Palestinians, and points out that ultimately the problem for the Palestinian people is the Israeli Occupation.

During 2007, CADFA will be organising speaking tours by visitors from Abu Dis to Camden, visits from Camden to Abu Dis, a Palestinian storyteller to visit Camden schools, and publishing a small book of writings by Abu Dis children, and another on the memories of people in Abu Dis of the June war in 1967. On Saturday 3rd February, a concert at Rosslyn Hill Chapel will raise money for health projects in Abu Dis.

Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association

PO Box 34265

London NW5