Davies shocked by Gaza’s destruction

RUIN ... Oldham MEP Chris Davis surveys the wreckage in Gaza. Inset: A mangled truck.

AN OLDHAM Euro-MP has spoken of his horror and anger after witnessing the destruction caused in Gaza.

Lib-Dem Chris Davies was the only British politician to gain access to Gaza during the bombing and is the first to have returned since its end.

Israel launched its 22-day operation in response to militants firing rockets at its towns. About 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis died during the conflict.

Mr Davies described the sight of schools that had been flattened, of tower blocks with entire sides missing, and of hundreds of tents erected on waste ground in a bid to shelter the homeless.

But the most shocking sight he witnessed was that of industrial estates razed to the ground, factories burned out, and lorries and equipment deliberately destroyed.

He said: “Food-processing plants, concrete manufacturers and biscuit-makers, all have been obliterated, despite their owners making absolutely sure that the buildings were not being used by militants who could attract Israeli fire.

“Many thousands have been left unemployed and wholly dependent on aid. It is impossible to understand how the destruction of Gaza’s economic infrastructure can possibly be of benefit to Israel. What was it all about?”

A convoy of more than 100 vehicles left the UK for Gaza at the weekend to deliver £1 million of aid.

Mr Davies says 500 lorry loads of supplies are needed every day to meet the needs of the 1.5 million people in the Gaza Strip — but claims Israel is only allowing 130 through the checkpoints.

The MEP, who is a member of the European Parliament’s Palestine Delegation, said that only 15 types of goods were being permitted by the Israelis with everything else banned.

“Paper for schools, nappies, water purifying tablets, concrete for rebuilding — they are all prohibited,” he said. “The normal life of a big city is impossible.”

He is concerned that Israeli citizens don’t appreciate the horror of the military action that killed hundreds of children and maimed thousands.

Mr Davies said: “In Gaza the talk was of war crimes and of making Israel accountable for its actions. But when I picked up newspapers in Tel Aviv they featured stories about whether too many young Israelis were getting tattoos!

“I don’t think most Israelis have any real understanding of what they have done. Perhaps worse, I am concerned that too many do not want to know.”

But he believes outrage at Israel’s heavy response to the rocket attacks has created an opportunity for progress, adding: “For too long the USA and the EU have given unconditional support to Israel despite its military occupation of Palestine, but there are signs that our dual standards approach may at last be coming to an end.”