2 Feb 2012

GAZA / BAN

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon travelled today to the Gaza Strip, where he underlined his commitment to continue working for peace and stability in the Middle East and voiced his concern about the need to increase humanitarian assistance for Palestinians. UNRWA

Posted at: February 2, 2012 5:41 pm

Duration: 02:55

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: GAZA / BAN
TRT: 2.55
SOURCE: UNRWA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: 2 FEBRUARY 2012, GAZA STRIP, OPT

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, convoy with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arriving at UNRWA's Al Amal Elementary and Preparatory Girls School in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip 
2. Med shot, Ban Ki-moon exits car 
3. Wide shot, Ban Ki-moon walks towards school, and is greeted by children standing on the balconies of the school building
5. Med shot, Ban Ki-moon in classroom
6. Various shots, Ban Ki-moon greets girls
7. Med shot, girls in class
8. SOUND-UP (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations: 
"What would you like to be in the future?"
9. Med shot, girl in class answering
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Student: 
"I would like to be a surgeon because here I had three operations but unfortunately this didn't work. Me and my family went to Australia. I had one operation and it worked, so I want to be a surgeon so that the problem doesn't happen that I had here."
11. Med shot, Ban Ki-moon addressing class
12. Wide shot, girl in back of class addressing Ban Ki-moon
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) student: 
"I wish that the blockade would be over for the Palestinian people so that we can travel to other countries without complications."
13. Med shot, Ban Ki-moon listening to girls
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) student: 
"We wish that you work to make sure we don't have to experience again what happened to us in the last war. I wish that no children would have this kind of experience, also if they are Israelis."
15. Wide shot, Ban Ki-moon receiving plaque on schoolyard, turns around and waves to applauding schoolgirls on balconies of school
16. Wide shot, construction site of UNRWA Khan Younis Housing Project for Palestine refugees
17. Med shot, Ban Ki-moon looking out over construction site 
18. SOUND-UP (English) Munir Manneh, UNRWA Chief of Infrastructure and Camp Improvement: 
"We can finish them in a very short period. You see, it's really sad to have these buildings standing like this." 
19. SOUND-UP (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations: 
"How long will it take you to finish them. How long have you been…?"
20. SOUND-UP (English) Munir Manneh, UNRWA Chief of Infrastructure and Camp Improvement: 
"It's less than five months."
21. Wide shot, construction site of UNRWA Khan Younis Housing Project for Palestine refugees
22. Wide shot, press gathered for Ban Ki-moon's press conference at UNRWA Khan Younis Housing Project for Palestine refugees
23. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations:
"Gaza is a priority for the United Nations."
24. Med shot, cameramen
25. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations:
"There needs to be further, immediate and more far reaching changes, including an end to the Palestinian divide."
26. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations:
"Israel must open Gaza's crossings for all building material."
27. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations:
"There are a lot of violence. All this violence must stop, particularly I would urge that the people from Gaza must stop firing rockets into Israeli side."
28. Wide shot, cameramen
29. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations:
"Likewise, Israelis should also fully guarantee the freedom and human rights and a decent life and the dignity of the Palestinian people." 
30. SOUND-UP (English) Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters Gaza correspondent: 
"What are the chances of UN action on Syria?"
31. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations: 
"I sincerely hope and urge the Security Council to take a common position so we can see the immediate end of bloodshed so that the urgent aspirations of the Syrian people could be realized."
32. Various shots, cameramen

STORYLINE:

Ban is currently in the region to encourage Palestinian and Israeli authorities to continue the talks they started in Jordan earlier this month – and to assess the progress and challenges on the road to peace.

During his visit to Gaza, Ban toured a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) housing project and a girls' school.

There he talked with the students who told him about their wishes for their future.

In a press encounter later in the morning, Ban emphasized that the UN would continue its work in the region, which ranges from infrastructure projects such as building housing units, schools and water treatment facilities, to humanitarian assistance and longer-term initiatives involving the people of Gaza to stimulate economic and social growth.

Ban told reporters that there needed to be "further, immediate and more far-reaching changes, including an end to the Palestinian divide."

"All this violence must stop," he said and urged the people from Gaza to stop firing rockets into Israeli side. He also noted that Israelis should "fully guarantee the freedom and human rights and a decent life and the dignity of the Palestinian people."

Responding to a question regarding the UN's position on the situation in Syria, Ban hope and urged the Security Council to take a common position, "so we can see the immediate end of bloodshed so that the urgent aspirations of the Syrian people could be realized."

Later today, in an address to the Herzliya 2012 conference in Tel Aviv, the Secretary-General is expected to discuss the Arab Spring reform movement and its impact on the region. He will also meet with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak.