This morning I issued the following statement: Brantford, Ontario, August 7, 2014 – Phil McColeman, Member of Parliament for Brant, issued the following statement this morning about the situation involving 8-year-old constituent Salma Abuzaiter and her departure from the Gaza Strip: “Today, Canada’s consular officials successfully assisted a third wave of Canadian citizens and accompanying family members in safely travelling from Gaza to Jordan. I am pleased to confirm that among these Canadians was 8-year-old Salma Abuzaiter from Brantford, who has now reached safety and is on her way home to her family. Canadian consular officials in Tel Aviv, Ramallah and Amman worked closely with our allies and partners, under the direction of the United Nations, to ensure that all necessary approvals for this operation were secured and that Canadians wishing to leave Gaza were able to do so safely. Our government has been advising against all travel to the Gaza Strip since May 31, 2005, and on July 9, 2014, Canadians were advised to leave Gaza. Given the volatile situation there, the ability of Canadian officials to provide consular assistance is limited. Canadian officials, however, have been engaged with the Abuzaiters since first being made aware of Salmas case, and quickly offered the family multiple options for her safe departure from Gaza. As her Member of Parliament, Salma’s mother Wesam Abuzaiter and I remained in close contact during this process. As a parent and grandparent, I can only begin to identify with the uncertainty and emotional toll of knowing that your child is beyond your immediate reach and may be in danger. I am thankful that today this uncertainty has ended and I commend Ms. Abuzaiter for her resolve throughout this ordeal and I commend our Canadian personnel on the ground in Ramallah, Tel Aviv and Amman for their hard work and commitment to bringing so many Canadians to safety.” Any Canadian citizens in Gaza requiring consular assistance should contact the Representative Office of Canada to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah at 972 (2) 297-8430 or contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre by phone, collect, at 1-613-996-8885 or by email at [email protected].
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 14:46:00 +0000
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