OTTAWA - The Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Association is deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza says Co-Chairs MP Réal Ménard and Senator Lucie Pépin.

 Over the last few weeks, Gaza and its inhabitants have been experiencing severe blockades that cut them off from humanitarian supplies. Close to 1.5 million civilians continue to struggle to access basic and essential supplies such as food, medicine and fuel.

 "This ongoing crisis is of great concern to Canadians and is counterproductive to the prospects to peaceful resolution to the Middle East conflict," said Mr. Réal Ménard, Co-Chair. "This is an untenable situation and we call on the Israeli government to ease these severe conditions". 

"We condemn rocket attacks on Israeli villages by Hamas where Israeli civilians are subjected to serious threats and we also think that such blockades that affect the civilians in Gaza will only exacerbate the ongoing tension. We call on the Canadian government to act in a way to end both rocket strikes and humanitarian blockades", says Senator Lucie Pépin, Co-Chair

 The Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Association aims to

- encourage dialogue between the Palestinian and Canadian parliaments;

- propose initiatives designed to bring about better understanding of the problems, issues and interests of Canadians and Palestinians;

- ensure that Canada's foreign policy on the Middle East reflects the best interests of the Palestinian people;

- propose measures, actions, and initiatives likely to contribute to a just and lasting peach in the Middle East;

- propose measures, actions, and initiatives that will lead to the establishment of a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.