"Hope in Gaza for reconciliation." Oliver McTernan holds meetings in the Gaza Strip, 14th - 19th August 2018

The Director of Forward Thinking,Oliver McTernan, recently spent five days in Gaza for intensive meetings meetings with political figures, academics, journalists and youth.  The meetings provided an opportunity to access the situation, especially with regards to the reconciliation and ceasefire talks currently taking place in Cairo. Oliver found there was overwhelming support at every level for the success of these talks.In addition to these bilateral meetings, on Saturday the 18th Oliver gave a talk to 30 journalists and academics on western perceptions of the Palestinian quest for statehood. Oliver also met with representatives of the international community in Gaza, including the Gaza director of UNRWA.The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains deeply troubling and many feel that the current talks in Cairo can't afford to fail. Calm, stability and economic revival are seen as essential or else there is a risk of a sudden escalation that could result in the loss of thousands of lives.