Egypt decides to ban international parliamentary delegation from entering Gaza

BRUSSELS, (PIC)-- The European campaign for lifting the siege on Gaza has strongly condemned the Egyptian government's decision not to allow a big international delegation of MPs enter Gaza Strip, describing such decision as practical participation in the siege.

The delegation was set to depart to Gaza in the first week of next month to see for themselves the deteriorated health and educational conditions in the tiny Strip which had been under crippling Israeli economic siege since June, 2006.

Lord Nazir Ahmad, head of the delegation, said that the delegation strongly condemns and deplores the Egyptian decision of denying it entry into Gaza although the visit was humanitarian.

He added that the international delegation of lawmakers have the right to see for themselves the miserable life conditions in the Gaza Strip, underlining, "We expected Egypt that alleges it helps the Palestinian people and wants to lift the siege to open the Rafah crossing and to let the delegation pursue the visit and look into the harsh conditions there".

In statement he made in the Belgian capital Brussels, Dr. Arafat Madi, the chairman of the campaign that is organizing the visit, also condemned the Egyptian decision, describing it as "practical participation in the suffocating siege imposed on the Gaza Strip that reaped the lives of more than 250 Palestinian patients so far".

"We strongly deprecate the barring of 53 international lawmakers from entering Gaza who want to look into the miserable human conditions of the 1.5 million Palestinians living under a crushing blockade for the third successive year", asserted Madi.

The international delegation of MPs comprises of 53 lawmakers from Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Scotland, and the EU parliament, in addition to MPs from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and a number of Arab countries.

Multinational lawmakers are due to visit Gaza early next month