OSCE PA President Pia Kauma and Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana, 15 Sept. 2024. Photo: Noam MoskowitzCOPENHAGEN, 18 September 2024 – President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Pia Kauma (Finland) and Secretary General Roberto Montella today completed a visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank. The visit included travel to Nir Oz Kibbutz and meetings with families of those killed and taken hostage during the 7 October Hamas terrorist attacks, as well as Majdal Shams on the border with Lebanon, where the President paid respects to the families of 12 children killed in a July rocket attack.
The visit served as an opportunity to gain a more in-depth understanding of the human and policy challenges in the region. In Jerusalem, President Kauma met with parliamentary and governmental officials including Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, as well as officials from the National Security Council, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and Israel’s International Development Cooperation Agency. Earlier in the week, Kauma travelled to Ramallah where she visited a refugee camp and held meetings with the State Minister of Foreign Affairs Varseen Aghabekian, as well as the Palestinian Human Rights Commissioner, UNRWA officials and civil society.
Kauma reiterated the OSCE PA’s condemnation of the 7 October 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks, sharing her condolences with officials, and expressing solidarity with families of the hostages still being held by Hamas. The President also reiterated the OSCE PA’s recognition of Israel’s right to self-defence.
“As the past year has reminded us, Israelis and Palestinians live in great insecurity,” said Kauma. “This must be overcome. A stop of the active fighting is urgently needed, as a starting point for building true human security for the peoples in the region.”
Together with the Head of Israel’s Delegation, Ram Ben Barak, the delegation visited the Kerem Shalom checkpoint, which serves as a hub for goods crossing into Gaza. While noting the efforts to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, Kauma conveyed the serious concerns expressed by OSCE parliamentarians about the human suffering unleashed since October by Israel’s actions in Gaza, as discussed during the OSCE PA’s Annual Session in July.
Secretary General Montella echoed the great concern and interest of OSCE PA Members regarding developments in the region. Israel is an important Partner State to the OSCE, and he welcomed continued engagement in political dialogue through the Parliamentary Assembly.
Discussion of the situation in the Middle East is expected to be high on the agenda of the OSCE PA’s Mediterranean Forum, to be held in Dublin in October.
Photos of the visit are available for public use on Flickr.
