On July 18^th 2010, Mr. Al Zaeem, as the Chairman of Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, received Ms. Baroness Catherine Ashton, The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. This was her second visit to Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children and to the Gaza Strip within three months.

During this second meeting with Ms. Ashton, Mr. Al Zaeem, as a member of the civil society and private sector representatives updated her Excellency with the problems from which the Gaza Strip still suffers in regard to the living conditions and the economic situation; the stagnancy of these issues was emphasized. The need to completely reopen the border crossing points of Gaza to enable the population to run their business and factories freely and rebuild their lives and the future for their children was also discussed.

Mr. Al Zaeem requested that Ms. Ashton do what's possible from her position to help lift the siege from all the Palestinian borders and ports and the immediately reopen a safe passage between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Ms. Ashton said in a press conference during the tour that she had to come to see what is happening on the ground, especially concerning the humanitarian and economic sectors in the Gaza Strip. She added that "The European Union has been calling for an urgent and fundamental change of policy regarding the closure of Gaza". In addition, she said that Gaza's borders must open to enable the territory's battered economy to recover and stated, "The position of the EU is very clear. We want to see the opportunity for people to be able to move around freely, to see goods not only coming in to Gaza but exports coming out of Gaza."