A small FLARE delegation visited Palestine. The reason behind the visit was to try get a glance of a very peculiar situation in one of the most contradictory lands worldwide.

On April 14 FLARE met Mr Ray Dolphin, OCHA High Officer (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs). He is part of a UN mission that monitors the effects of the wall upon Palestinian territories. He says that every year the amount of money spent on international missions in Palestine equals the one used for international cooperation in Africa in the past 20 years.

 

The next visit took place in the city of Hebron, Israel, on April 15. Mr Jaward Sayed, Hebron’s mayor and President of an association that helps rebuilding the city centre in order to motivate Palestinians to stay and live in their houses, welcomed FLARE’s delegation.

 

During the entire period of the visit, attempts were made to raise up the topic of organised crime. On the matter, it is impossible to talk to Israeli institutions, and in Palestine such issue is so deeply interrelated with state institutions that it is hard to understand mechanisms and interests. UN directives and guidelines are never implemented and civil rights are left in the hands of each soldier.