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Situation in Gaza - MEPs express
indignation at Israeli operation and call on militias to
respect truce
In adopting a joint resolution on the
situation in Gaza, MEPs express their deep indignation
at the Israeli military operation carried out in Beit
Hanun and in Gaza, and condemn the Israeli army’s use of
disproportionate action. MEPs call on the Palestinian
militias to put an end to the firing of rockets into
Israeli territory, which is indiscriminate and
deliberately targets civilians, to respect the truce and
to refrain from further escalation of the conflict.
The House expresses its deepest condolences and sympathy
to the families of the victims of the recent bombing in
Beit Hanun and to all other innocent casualties.
Parliament calls on the Israeli government to halt its
military operations in Gaza immediately, and reaffirms
that there is no military solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The House expresses its
deep concern about the possible grave consequences of
the current crisis, including further military and
terrorist attacks, undermining the fragile political
situation in the region as a whole.
Parliament calls on the United States Administration to
reassess its role in the Quartet and in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with a view to supporting
an end to the violence and a new and genuine dialogue
between the parties.
The House invites the Quartet (UN, EU, USA and Russia)
to act urgently for the resumption of negotiations with
and between the parties concerned and full
implementation of all parts of the Roadmap. Parliament
declares once again, at this particular stage, that a
solution to the Middle East conflict will only be
possible through the negotiation of a firm and final
peace agreement as set out in the Roadmap, without prior
conditions, based on the existence of two democratic,
sovereign and viable states, living peacefully side by
side within secure and recognised international borders,
and that the continuing loss of civilian lives is
intolerable. The House calls on the Council urgently to
convene the EU-Israel Association Council in order to
express the position of the European Union after the
Israeli military operations in Gaza, with regard, in
particular, to full compliance with Article 2 of the
Association Agreement. MEPs call on the Council to
address itself, within the framework of the EU-Palestinian
Association Agreement, to the new Palestinian government
of national unity in order to confront the issue of
violence and security.
The House supports the EU Presidency’s statement urging
the Israeli government to cease all provocative
activities in the Palestinian territories, including
settlement building, the construction of the separation
wall in the Palestinian territories, indiscriminate
military operations and the demolition of Palestinian
homes. MEPs call on the Commission and the Member States
to supply extra medical aid to Palestinian hospitals, in
particular in Gaza.
The House Calls on the Council and the Commission to
continue to guarantee, together with the international
community, essential humanitarian aid for the
Palestinian population. Parliament demands that the TIM
be reinforced and extended in terms of duration and
resources. The House calls on the Israeli government
urgently to resume the transfer of withheld Palestinian
tax and customs revenues.
MEPs call on Israel to lift its economic blockade of
Gaza, to facilitate trade between the Palestinian
territories, Israel and the world as a whole, to promote
economic development in Gaza for the benefit of both
Palestinians and Israelis, and to permit the movement of
people, in compliance with the Agreement on Movement and
Access in Rafah (EU-BAM), in Karni and at other border
crossings in Gaza.
MEPs reiterates their call for the immediate release of
the Palestinian ministers and legislators in Israeli
custody and of the abducted Israeli soldier. Parliament
calls on the Council to make every effort to convene an
international peace conference – along the lines of the
1991 Madrid Conference – in order to find a
comprehensive, lasting and viable solution to the
problems in the area, based on the relevant UN Security
Council resolutions, and considers that a unilateral
approach by any of the parties concerned must be
rejected. Finally, The House considers the involvement
of the Arab League to be essential in this context. MEPs
consider the 2002 ‘Beirut Plan’, agreed by the member
countries of the League of Arab States, and the Geneva
Initiative to be important contributions to the
negotiations, which should be duly taken into account. |
