Iran and Indonesia plan parliamentary-led aid mission to Gaza before Ramadan

Iran and Indonesia plan to organize a multi-national parliamentary mission in an effort to break the Israeli-imposed siege of Palestine's impoverished Gaza Strip since 2007.

Visiting Iranian Majlis (parliament) Speaker Ali Larijani called on Thursday for a timetable to dispatch an aid mission led by parliamentarians from Iran and Indonesia to the besieged Palestinian territory, IRNA reported.

In June 2007, Israel tightened its blockade of the Gaza Strip after the democratically-elected government led by the Palestinian Hamas movement was forced to limit its rule to the coastal sliver.

The Israeli-imposed blockade has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip, where nearly 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights to appropriate living conditions, work, healthcare and education.

Despite repeated international calls, Israel has refused to lift the blockade even after its December 2008- January 2009 offensive on Gaza killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and inflicted more than USD 1.6 billion in damages on the region's economy.

Larijani, who arrived in Jakarta late Wednesday, stressed that other countries could take part in the humanitarian convoy, referring to efforts made by his Syrian counterpart Mahmoud al-Abrash in this regard.

The speaker of Indonesian House of Representatives, Marzuki Alie, also expressed hope that the mission could set sail to Gaza before the fasting Muslim month of Ramadan as “a gift” to the impoverished people in the coastal enclave. more

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