SA Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Co-operation Visit to Israel, Palestine & Gaza

Saturday 30th March 2013
Cheryllyn Dudley MP

At OR Tambo Int Airport - flying Ethiopian Airways to Addis Ababa then on to Tel Aviv (arriving at 2am) then on to Ramallah by vehicle to start meetings with the Palestinian Authorities a few hours later. An outline of our itinerary is below.

I am Proud of our International Relations committee - although, in the main, they are seriously biased against Israel as they blindly defend the Palestinian cause - they have kept the promise they made well over a year ago (against all odds and the opportunity to make many excuses) to visit Israel Palestine and Gaza giving equal time and attention to issues and concerns on all fronts. This was in response to a recommendation from the ACDP that the Resolution they intended to submit to the National Assembly - after visiting Gaza alone - stand over until the committee visits all sectors to ensure a more credible report and hopefully less biased resolutions. Even the Committee Researcher played a key role in keeping the committee on track.


ITINERARY 

SUNDAY 31 MARCH

Arrive: Ben Gurion International Airport (2.40am) – depart for Ramallah

Programme: PALESTINE & GAZA

Meeting - Prime Minister -Dr. Salam Fayyad
Meeting - H.E. Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Riad Malki
Meeting - H.E. President Mahmoud Abbas
Meeting - Dr.Saeb Erikat, Palestine’s Chief Negotiator - Israel-Palestine Peace Process
Meeting - Jamal Juma
Meeting - FATAH/PLO International Relations Commission Dr. Nabil Shaath
Working dinner - FATAH/PLO International Relations Commission - Dr. Nabeel Shaath

MONDAY 1 April

Meeting - Dr Aziz Dweik, Speaker of Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC)
Political Tour coordinated by Negotiations Affairs Department
Briefing by Dr. Mahdi, PASSIA

TUESDAY 2 April

Travel to Gaza
Meeting - HAMAS Foreign Min/ Prime Minister, Ismail Hanniyeh & Deputy Foreign Min, Dr. Ghazi Hamad,
Meeting - Dr Zakariyah Al Agha, Member of Executive Committee/ Head of FATAH Forum/Head of Refugees Committee
      Meeting - Dr Mahmoud Ajrami,
President of Academy for Post Graduate Studies in Diplomacy & Politics
Travel to Jerusalem
Briefing - H.E. Ambassador Sisa Ngombane (Dinner -SA Embassy Tel Aviv)
                                   
WEDNESDAY 3 APRIL

Tour of Jerusalem - Adv Daniel Seideman, President of Terrestrial Jerusalem – “Impact of settlements on the future of Jerusalem in Two State”
                                                         
Terrestrial Jerusalem (TJ) is an Israeli non-profit organisation devoted to the illumination of Israeli-Palestinian relations in Jerusalem. TJ delivers prominent information & analyses towards upgrading the quality of the decision-making processes relating to Jerusalem, its current management and its future political status.

Visit to the HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
                                 
Round Table discussion – Mossawa (coalition against racism - status of Arab Israeli Citizens

Round Table Luncheon – discussion with B’tselem (Breaking the Silence) & ACRI (Assoc for Civil Rights in Israel)

B’tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories was established in 1989 by a group of prominent academics, attorneys, journalists, and Knesset members. It endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel.

Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran Israeli combatants who have served in the Israeli military since the start of the Second Intifada and have taken it upon themselves to expose the Israeli public to the reality of everyday life in the Occupied Territories. Breaking the Silence endeavours to stimulate public debate about the price paid for a reality in which young soldiers face a civilian population on a daily basis, and are engaged in the control of that population’s everyday life.

The Association of Civil Rights In Israel (ACRI) – ACRI was established in 1972, ACRI is Israel’s oldest and largest human rights organization and the only one dealing with the entire spectrum of rights and civil liberties issues in Israel and the Occupied Territories. An independent and non-partisan organization, ACRI’s mandate is to ensure Israel’s accountability and respect for human rights, by addressing violations committed by the Israeli authorities in Israel, the Occupied Territories, or elsewhere. ACRI is committed to promoting the universality of human rights and defending the human rights and civil liberties of all, regardless of religion, nationality, gender, ethnicity, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background.
 
Meeting - Gen Yaakov Amidror, Nat Security Advisor/Head of Israeli Nat Security Council
                                 
Dinner - Israeli Ministry Foreign Affairs - Ambassador Avraham Granot, Dept Dir Gen Africa

THURSDAY, 04 APRIL

Meeting - NGO Peace Forum - Mr Ron Pundak & Ambassador Ilan Baruch

Peace Forum is a formal structure promoting the on-going cooperation and interaction between active Palestinian and Israeli Peace NGOs. Forum members work together to influence decision making and public opinion, support the peace process and reconciliation efforts by mobilizing civil society and greater populations of the region.

Round table discussion (Q & A) – Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Meeting - Mr Yair Lapid, leader of Yesh Atid & Minister of Finance

Meeting – Ms Tzipi Livni, leader of Hatnuah & Minister of Justice              

FRIDAY, 05 APRIL 2013

Depart 01H10 from Ben Gurion International Airport for Jhb  via Addis Ababa