Victor Boştinaru, on behalf of the S&D Group. – Mr President, the resolution to be adopted tomorrow is well balanced. It is once again the result of close and serious work by our political groups, which shows Parliament’s commitment to fighting for and working for peace in the Middle East.

Without mentioning the numbers – the damages and losses which are part of the daily tragedy we faced in the Gaza Strip – I would like to make the point that Europe was practically absent, and has not been living up to its duty in the Middle East in recent months, during the USA-brokered negotiations or during the ceasefire. This is a fact of life and it is a painful lesson in terms of what we need to do.

Regarding what we need to do, I was inspired by the visit we made to Jerusalem and Ramallah. Firstly, implementation of the ceasefire agreement is fundamental and is also a good basis for the negotiations which will soon take place to address the most important topics on the agenda. Secondly, a successful donors’ conference in Cairo will offer an opportunity for starting the reconstruction of Gaza. Thirdly, the national consensus government of Palestine needs to be empowered to take full control over Gaza, for without that the reconstruction will be in jeopardy. And finally, the role of President Mahmoud Abbas, and his moderating authority to negotiate with the Israeli side, must be strengthened.

The most important thing is to work for the peace process. Here our Union, together with the United States and with such important regional actors as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others, should contribute to the success of the talks. I believe that now is the time for Europe to change from a payer to a player. It was a payer but we have to become a player and I am therefore very happy for the newly designated High Representative, Federica Mogherini, to pay so much attention to the Middle East and to the role of our Union in trying to work for peace in the Middle East. This is the only answer for the region at a time of great instability.