On Monday 17 May 2010, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights received three delegations from the Swedish Consulate, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida).
The Consulate delegation included Mr.
Nils Eliasson, Consul General, Mr.
Rolf Carlman, Head of Development Cooperation, and Mr.
Maher Daoudi, Deputy Head of Development Cooperation.
The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs delegation included Mr.
Robert Rydberg, Head, Department for Middle East and North Africa, Ms Maria Velasco, Desk Officer, OPT and Peace Process, and Ms Karin Stanghed, Desk Officer, Department for Peace and Security.
The delegation of the Swedish International Development Agency included Mr.
Hans Magnusson, Director, Department for Conflict and Post-Conflict Cooperation and Mr.
Fredrik Westerholm, Program Officer, Team OPT.
The visiting delegations met Al Mezan's Director, Mr.
Issam Younis and Communications Coordinator, Mr.
Mahmoud Abu Rahma, and Mr.
Hamdi Shaqua, the coordinator of the Democratic Development Unit at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Mr.
Wael Al Qarra, from Al Dameer Association for Human Rights, Ms Amal Siyam, the Director of Women Affairs Centre, and Ms Naima Ar-Rawagh, the Director of Women Support and Rehabilitating Program in the Gaza Community Mental Health Program.
At the meeting, the delegation was introduced to the humanitarian and human rights situation in the Gaza Strip and the impacts of the Israeli siege.
The delegation recommended the necessity of effective Swedish and European intervention to end the Israeli violations of human rights and IHL.
They also recommended that the Swedish role should not be limited to providing humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people, but they should eliminate all the reasons behind the humanitarian crisis in the OPT.
On Thursday 20 May 2010, Mr.
Issam Younis, the Director of Al Mezan, met an Austrian delegation at Al Mezan's office in Gaza City.
The delegation included Mr.
Wolfgang Lapuh, the Desk Manager Middle East in the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, Ms.
Lydia Saadat, Head of Programming and Planning Unit at the Department for Development Co-operation at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, and Mr.
Oskar Wustinger, Head of Mission, Austrian Representative Office in Ramallah.
Mr.
Younis briefed the delegation about the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the devastating impacts of the continued siege imposed by Israel on the population of Gaza, which affects all aspects of life in the Strip.
  He also described the Israeli violations of human rights and IHL committed against the Palestinian civilians.
Moreover, Younis talked about the Palestinian internal split and its serious impacts on the Palestinian rights and question.
Mr.
Younis called for the review of the European role in the peace process to ensure it is built on principles of justice and international law, and to enable Palestinian people to practice their legitimate rights under international human rights law and international humanitarian law (IHL).
Ends