Sarraj calls on Obama to implement what he called for in his Cairo speech

Sarraj calls on Obama to implement what he called for in his Cairo speech

In a letter to President Barak Obama on Wednesday, Dr. Eyad al-Sarraj, President of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, called on Obama to uphold the rule of law and equal administration of justice as he called for in his Cairo speech.

He told Obama that the Israeli war and continued blockade on Gaza left Gaza’s children frightened and uneasy about returning to schools and parents unable to provide for their children.

“Israel’s 23 day offensive (28 December 2008- 19 January 2009) has left our children afraid to return to school, and feeling unsafe in their beds. The war, and the continued closure of the Gaza Strip, has undermined the capacity of mothers and fathers to act as protectors and providers.  As a community, we will struggle for decades to live with the consequences,” the letter read.

He also said that after years of neglect the attention following the war gave Palestinians some hope and the investigation by Justice Goldstone gave them even more hope that justice will be done.

“The investigation led by Justice Goldstone was a cause for optimism. We felt that this respected judge and prosecutor – who has served at the highest level and consistently demonstrated his independence in upholding the rule of law – was one of the few people who had the credentials and experience to take on this legally complex and politically charged mission. We came to believe that the world actually cared.”

Dr. Sarraj then talks of the disappointment caused by the words of the US ambassador to the UN suggesting that the focus should be on the future rather than the past.

“The statement of your ambassador to the UN, Ms. Susan Rice, sent a different message: that the world, or at least the United States, does not care.”

Commenting on the ambassadors’ statement that the task at hand was to cement progress of peace negotiations, Dr. Sarraj said in his letter: ” This separation of justice and peace is misguided; the two are intertwined.”

He called on Obama to translate his words in Cairo into actions and support the recommendations of the UN Fact Finding Mission.