MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the recognition of Palestinian statehood
10.12.2014 - (2014/2964(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Fernando Maura Barandiarán, Pavel Telička, Javier Nart, Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea, Maite Pagazaurtundúa Ruiz, Ivan Jakovčić, Ivo Vajgl, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Louis Michel, Jozo Radoš on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0277/2014
B8‑0349/2014
European Parliament resolution on the recognition of Palestinian statehood
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Charter of the United Nations,
– having regard to the Oslo Accords (‘Declaration of Principles on Interim Self‑Government Arrangements’) of 13 September 1993,
– having regard to the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,
– having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 67/19 of 2012,
– having regard to the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) of 18 November 2014,
– having regard to the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of 17 November 2014 on the Middle East Peace Process,
– having regard to the remarks made by the VP/HR during the Foreign Affairs Council of 17 November 2014,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas, as at 20 November 2014, 135 of the 193 member states of the UN and 8 of the 28 Member States of the European Union had recognised the State of Palestine, and whereas 5 EU Member States have recently approved the future recognition of the State of Palestine;
B. whereas the EU has repeatedly confirmed its support for the two-state solution, with the State of Israel, with secure and recognised borders, and an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable State of Palestine living side by side in peace and security, and has declared that no changes to the pre-1967 borders, other than those agreed by the parties, will be recognised, including with regard to Jerusalem as the capital of two states;
C. whereas the recognition of a Palestinian state must be the result of a bilateral agreement – and mutual recognition – between the Israeli and Palestinian states to have their own states and to exist within safe borders;
D. whereas direct peace talks between the parties are currently stalled; whereas the EU has called on the parties to pursue actions conducive to the environment of confidence necessary to ensure meaningful negotiations, to refrain from actions that undermine the credibility of the process and to prevent incitement;
E. whereas the absence of a credible political framework is being exploited and is leading to further hardening of ideological and religious stands;
F. whereas, since the 1995 Oslo Accords, the West Bank has been administratively divided into three zones or areas; whereas Area C comprises the largest portion of the West Bank territory; whereas social and economic developments in Area C are of critical importance for the viability of a future Palestinian state;
G. whereas the Palestinian presence in the West Bank, particularly in Area C, and in East Jerusalem has been unfairly undermined by the current complex conflict;
H. whereas Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and constitute a major obstacle to peace efforts;
I. whereas Israel, in its ‘Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel’ of 1980, declared Jerusalem the complete and united capital of Israel, which is in contradiction with UN Security Council Resolution 478 (1980); whereas the Council conclusions of 14 May 2012 again reiterated that a way must be found, through negotiations, to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of two states; whereas current developments in East Jerusalem make the prospect of Jerusalem becoming the future capital of two states increasingly unlikely and unworkable in practice; whereas East Jerusalem is increasingly detached from the West Bank, while the Historic Basin within Jerusalem is increasingly detached from the rest of East Jerusalem;
J. whereas protecting the Palestinian population and its rights in the West Bank, with particular regard to Area C, and in East Jerusalem is of the utmost importance for preserving the viability of the two-state solution; whereas the ongoing expansion of settlements, settler violence, planning restrictions and the consequent acute housing shortage, house demolitions, evictions, displacements, confiscation of land, difficult access to natural resources, and the lack of basic social services and assistance are having a significant negative impact on the living conditions of Palestinians;
K. whereas the lack of a unique and democratic Palestinian government and Hamas’s refusal to recognise Israel as a state and its permanent right to exist, to forswear violence and to accept the validity of previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements are not helping to find a peaceful solution to the conflict;
L. whereas the separation wall built by Israel, which does not follow the Green Line, cuts off considerable parts of Palestinian territory both in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem; whereas the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice entitled ‘Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory’ of 2004 declared that ‘the construction of the wall being built by Israel ... and its associated regime, are contrary to international law’;
M. whereas Arab Bedouins are indigenous people leading a sedentary and traditionally agricultural life on their ancestral lands and seeking formal and permanent recognition of their unique situation and status; whereas Arab Bedouin communities, threatened by Israeli policies undermining their livelihoods and including forced transfer, are a particularly vulnerable population both in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in the Negev;
N. whereas on many occasions, including in the Council conclusions of 14 May 2012, the EU and its Member States have reiterated their fundamental commitment to the security of Israel, condemned in the strongest terms violence deliberately targeting civilians, including rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, and called for the effective prevention of arms smuggling into Gaza;
1. Takes note of the ongoing process among a number of Member States to recognise the State of Palestine, and expresses its will to steer this support towards the acceleration of the peace process and the two-state solution, preferably as part of a negotiated agreement, acting in coordination with the UN;
2. Calls on all the Member States and on the VP/HR to find a common EU position on this issue;
3. Calls for the international community, and particularly the EU, to pursue coordinated action taking into account the legitimate concerns, interests and aspirations of the State of Israel, and of Palestine;
4. Is deeply concerned at the growing tension and increasing violence on the ground; calls on political leaders from all sides to work together through visible actions to de-escalate the situation; condemns all recent terrorist attacks and expresses its condolences for the loss of lives, and calls on the State of Israel to abstain from any indiscriminate exercise of force against the civilian population; calls on the Palestinian Authority to condemn all acts of terrorism and to make greater efforts to eliminate hate speech and prevent all acts of violence; calls on the Israeli Government to stop the expansion of settlements and the restrictions on the rights of the Palestinian population in the West Bank, particularly in Area C, and in East Jerusalem as regards access to natural resources and basic social services and assistance as an essential factor in preserving the viability of the two-state solution;
5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Quartet Envoy to the Middle East, the Knesset and the Government of Israel, the President of the Palestinian Authority, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Consensus Government, and the Palestinian Legislative Council.