On your side in central and west Glasgow
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The Scottish Parliament is currently in recess and Pauline is presently on a Medical Aid for Palestinians delegation to Israel and the occupied territories. She is sending updates when she can and the Constituency Office will provide them below.
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DAY 1
"We toured the West Bank and met with Fred Schlomka from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition. 18,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished here since the Israeli occupation began in 1967, 8,000 more are planned.
Demolitions are done on a regular basis and have the effect of harassing the Palestinian population and forcing them out. The reasons given for demolition are for punishment, Israeli decreed land appropriation or ‘permits not in order’.
We received a briefing on the reductions to land available for Palestinians over the years which shows the shrinkage of the Palestinian areas and the huge expansion of Israeli settlements within the occupied territories.
The settlement we visited was one of the largest called Malaaya Di Min, four lane roads run to and from the settlements ensuring easy access to Tel-Aviv. These roads may not be used by Palestinians.
In fact, the infrastructure is designed to separate the Israelis from Palestinians and of course the Palestinian roads are of poorer quality.
I saw the Separation Wall and how it divides Jerusalem and cuts off the surrounding Palestinian villages from the city.
Refused entry to a check point - no reason given so have to take another route.
As we head towards Ramallah even the lights of the traffic signals favour the Israeli registered vehicles where the Palestinian roads cross settlement access routes.
At night we had a security briefing on our attempted entry into Gaza. The situation has got worse today, we are told that two Israeli soldiers have been killed along the border. We have to expect anything, including the possibility that if we are allowed in, the border may be locked down behind us."
PM
West Bank
09/04/08
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Pauline is accompanied on the MAP delegation by Anas Sarwar and members of the Glasgow muslim community. They are due to return to the UK on Sunday 13 April.
For further information on MAP-UK please click here.
Last updated 10 April 2008
Click here for the regular blog archive
The Botanic’s Proposal
I have consistently opposed Glasgow City Council’s proposal to allow G1 Group to redevelop the former Botanic Gardens Station, in the West End, as a nightclub and conference centre.
Local people were never consulted on the specifics of a nightclub plan, and if they had been I am sure that the response would not have been positive. Whilst I would have welcomed a visitors’ centre, the proposal we have ended up with is very different and has so little support from local people and users of the Botanic Gardens that the local authority must go back to the drawing board.
Botanic Gardens Update
STOP PRESS - Pauline in the news
Tesco Partick Goes to Public Local Inquiry
Tesco's proposals for a major superstore and residential development at Beith Street in Partick will be subject to a public local planning inquiry. As your local MSP, I will be called to give evidence and I am keen to hear the views of people in Partick about the Tesco plans.
April Recess 08: Pauline visits Palestine
Press Release 04/04/08 - Pauline McNeill MSP leads Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP-UK) delegation to Israel and the occupied territories.
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