The European Union representative to the Palestinian Authority, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, took to the skies above Gaza at the end of his term, paragliding off the coast in a rare adventure aimed at drawing attention to the besieged Palestinian territory. A video published by the EU delegation online showed von Burgsdorff gliding over a sandy cliff, at a height of seven meters above the Mediterranean Sea, after initially struggling to get his parachute filled with enough air.
In the video, von Burgsdorff, who is concluding his term, stated, "Once Palestine is free, and Gaza is free, one can do the same thing." He added, "This is why I did what I did. To guide you on the way forward. We will work for this, what do you think?"
A spokesperson for the EU office in Jerusalem, which participated in the flight, noted that the paragliding took place on Sunday and that the parachute was specially designed for the envoy, indicating that he was able to bring it through border security thanks to his diplomatic immunity. The spokesperson confirmed that von Burgsdorff ascended 50 meters in the air for at least five minutes and that Israel was not notified of "the purely local and sporting activity."
