'We can feel the pain'

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SHAIKH NASSER BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA. If you are a regular reader of GulfWeekly you will have often heard me describe Bahrain as 'The small kingdom with a big heart'.

This has never been more apparent than in the last few weeks since the latest Israeli attacks on Gaza.

His Majesty Shaikh Hamad didn't hesitate for a moment and was the first Gulf leader to offer his support, not only in words, but in deeds.

Apart from implementing diplomatic support, His Majesty immediately pledged his personal financial support and appointed Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa to head the Bahrain National Committee for the Support of the Palestinian People in Gaza.

In a very short time, the committee galvanised the whole of Bahrain to generously donate to the cause and offer assistance.

This has so far, culminated, in a collection of $5 million from the public and major companies after two successful Telethon fundraising TV programmes.

His Majesty added to this $5 million, personally donating an additional $3 million to build a new school for children in Gaza.

The support and donations as well as His Majesty's insistence that Bahrain supply urgent medical materials to Gaza has been so efficient that it received the praise of the BBC which announced that Bahrain was the first country in the world to deliver medicine and rescue materials, in record time, to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians.

GulfWeekly has the exclusive honour of interviewing the dynamic young leader responsible for implementing His Majesty's humanitarian vision and turning it into a successful operation.

BETSY: Your Highness, what is the reason behind the success of your Gaza support programme?

SHAIKH NASSER: First of all, we thank Almighty God for his blessing and we must record our appreciation to His Majesty the King for entrusting us with this honourable assignment. The reason for the success of our operation can be summed up as follows:

As mentioned above, His Majesty's support in providing finance for the shipment of medicine to Gaza on an urgent basis, during the first days of the attack was useful to gain time. And of course we had a lot of help from companies and the generous people of Bahrain.

Also, Batelco's instant donation of BD100,000 was helpful and was put to good use in buying medicines and dispatching them.

Secondly, Bahrain has good relations with the officials in Egypt and Gaza and in particular with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. The role of the Bahraini Embassy in Egypt and the Bahraini Red Crescent Society was also very useful in expediting the shipments efficiently.

Finally, the professional manner in which the consignments were packed, labelled and the quantities identified and expiry dates of the medicines recorded on suitable documents for easy inspection at the Raffah border, was all appreciated by the authorities at the other end. This meant those vital first shipments from the Kingdom of Bahrain actually reached the people of Gaza whilst other countries' shipments have still not crossed the border.

BETSY: Your Highness, what are your feelings towards the humanitarian situation and what is happening these days in Gaza?

Shaikh Nasser: First of all, I wish to thank God that the aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza has stopped with the official ceasefire. However, we record our pride for the bravery and great patience they demonstrated during the attack, despite the great pain and the agony that they went through on a daily basis.

Similarly, we feel tremendous pain when we see them on the television and we feel sad when we see casualties among the children, women and elderly and the demolition of the buildings, mosques and schools. We pray to Allah the Almighty to bestow on them patience and to support them by a reinforcement from His Glorious Might and to grant them victory, security and peace.

BETSY: Your Highness, what are the steps that your organisation intends to take in carrying out the directives of His Majesty the King? How will you manage the administrative works of the donations and shipments?

Shaikh Nasser: In accordance with the instructions from His Majesty, the honorary president of the Royal Charity Organisation, a committee has been formed for the support of the Palestinian people. And further more, a sub-committee called the executive committee for the day to day management of the donations and supplies of material and projects was formed under the chairmanship of Dr Mustafa Al Sayed. He is working hard with his team to ensure effective management and distribution of the donations.

BETSY: What is the extent of the response of the non-government organisations (NGOs) and national organisations in the Kingdom of Bahrain towards Bahrain National Committee for Supporting the People of Palestine in Gaza?

Shaikh Nasser: The people of Bahrain are very well known for their honourable stance towards the Palestinian cause, and by the Grace of God we have received a lot of support and back-up from various organisations, companies and national and government entities.

Indeed, the great response that we are receiving now is the best evidence of the genuineness and the generosity of the people of Bahrain and does reflect their firm stance towards the cause of Palestine. This support has resulted in the generous donations that have so far reached $5 million.

BETSY: What is the mechanism for distributing the donated aid from the people of Bahrain?

Shaikh Nasser: As I previously mentioned, the executive committee has been formed, headed by Dr Al Sayed with membership from a number of societies and non-government organisations and officers who are providing support voluntarily and in co-operation with the Red Crescent Society in Bahrain as well as the Bahrain Engineering Society and Bahrain Medical Society. We appreciate their fine efforts. In fact, we have two teams right now in Egypt; one on the border of Gaza delivering medicine and another team of doctors negotiating treatment of injured Palestinians to be treated in Cairo on behalf of our committee.

As for the future plans, the committee, by the Grace of God, will study as to how to allocate the income from such aid in order to participate in development projects for our brothers in Gaza, such as building a clinic, a school, a nursery or orphanage.

Let me take this opportunity to thank GulfWeekly for its coverage and support of this noble cause.

At the time of going to press, the latest ceasefire was holding and Shaikh Nasser confided in me that three Bahraini doctors, Dr Ahmed Jamal, Dr Hussein Almeer and Dr Tariq Shorbadee had been dispatched to purchase medical supplies to send over the border, but due to the ceasefire had at that moment been able to cross the border themselves into Gaza and were actually able to treat the wounded. This had not been part of the doctors' original remit, but is typical of the compassion that Bahrainis have for their Palestinian brothers and sisters.

As the guns were silenced in Gaza, Bahrainis, both Sunni and Shi'ia were quietly working side by side, showing the world the true humanitarian, non-sectarian face of Bahrain, 'the small kingdom with a big heart'.

In the face of great adversity, man's true colours will out and if we can find anything positive in this tragedy it is that it has united Bahrainis and allowed us to forget our internal turmoil.

Hopefully, it is a lesson to those who would wish to cause mischief - be grateful for what you have and rejoice in it.

Now all we need to do is ensure that Bahrain's proposed new laws are ratified by the Bahraini people and their leaders and not left to the questionable whims of foreigners 'who would be King'.

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING THIS WEEK

Share the truth about the suffering of the Palestinians with your friends and families across the world. Fight Israeli propaganda with the truth, there is no tool more powerful. Fighting ignorance is as important as fighting the Zionist enemy.