Mexican senator plans visit to Palestine to ‘rescue orphaned children’ 

Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña is planning to travel to Palestine after receiving an invitation from that country’s Ministry of Foreign Relations.

Fernández Noroña, president of the Senate, said the trip would include meetings with Palestinian authorities and a tour of refugee camps, though the specific sites of his visit, if decided, have not been made public. 

During a Monday press conference, Fernández Noroña said his main objective would be to rescue Palestinian children orphaned by Israeli bombing and provide them with refuge in Mexico.

“The killing of children in Palestine demands more than symbolic declarations,” he said, adding that “we should welcome orphaned Palestinian children to Mexico just as President Cárdenas did back in the day.”

Fernández Noroña was referring to the asylum policy implemented by President Lázaro Cárdenas (1934-1940) that brought more than 450 children to Mexico from Spain during that country’s Civil War.

“I’ll do everything I can. … I’m going to accept the invitation to help … rescue orphaned children, and beyond that, any human being who seeks political refuge from the atrocities,” he said.

The invitation was extended “in recognition of the senator’s principled stance and sincere solidarity with the Palestinian people during this difficult time,” reads a document Fernández Noroña showed reporters.

When asked by reporters about Fernández Noroña’s intentions, President Claudia Sheinbaum voiced support for the initiative.

“We’ll always open our doors when humanitarian concerns reflect a need,” she said, adding that each case would have to be formally reviewed.

Sheinbaum said a special program could be considered and overseen by Foreign Relations Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente.

Fernández Noroña said the proposed trip to Palestine is likely to take place after Sept. 1, once the new congressional session begins and Fernández Noroña’s term as Senate president ends.

“Most likely, I will go in my capacity as senator,” Fernández Noroña said, adding that instructions from President Sheinbaum could accelerate his plans.

As president of the Senate, Fernández Noroña presides over Mexico’s Permanent Congressional Commission when Congress is not in session. Last week, the Permanent Commission issued a proclamation declaring Justice for Palestine “an urgent and requisite objective of our times.”

Among the declarations made in the name of Mexico’s Congress on Aug. 6 were:

• A condemnation of attacks on civilians and an exhortation that the international community actively promote a peaceful resolution. 
• A demand that full access be granted to those seeking to provide humanitarian aid
• A call to the U.N. to encourage a cease-fire and promote self-determination for and international recognition of the Palestinian State
• A statement of resolute opposition to systematic attacks on essential infrastructure

Mexico is on record supporting a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and its U.N. mission recently condemned the use of hunger as a weapon of war.

At the U.N.’s Two-State Solution Conference on July 30, Mexico’s U.N. Ambassador Héctor Vasconcelos voiced support for recognition of Palestine as a member state and called for an end of Israeli occupation. 

He also urged taking action to educate Israeli and Palestinian children about commonalities between the two cultures.

With reports from El Financiero, Milenio, Proceso, Informador, La Jornada