The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip.
The resolution was tabled by the EPP-ED, PES, ALDE, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL groups.
The Parliament expresses its deep indignation at the Israeli military operation carried out in Beit Hanun and in the Gaza Strip, and condemns the Israeli army's use of disproportionate action, which is undermining attempts to initiate the peace process. It calls on the Israeli government to halt its military operations in the Gaza Strip immediately, and reaffirms that there is no military solution to the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict.
The resolution also condemns the recent rocket attack in Sderot. It calls on the Palestinian militias to bring to an end the firing of rockets into Israeli territory, which is indiscriminate and deliberately targets civilians, to respect the truce and to refrain from further escalating the conflict.
The US Government is called upon 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 Parliament also reiterates its suggestion that the presence of a multinational force in Lebanon could be taken as an exemplary model to be followed in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, in order to protect the civilian population on both sides.
The resolution 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 the Gaza Strip and to address itself, within the framework of the EU‑Palestinian Interim Association Agreement, to the new Palestinian government of national unity in order to confront the issue of violence and security.
MEPs welcome the agreement reached by the President of the Palestinian Authority to form a new Palestinian government, which should act as a negotiating partner for the international community. They consider that this could lead to the restoration of economic aid to the Palestinian Authority.