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Verbatim report of proceedings
Wednesday, 17 September 2014 - Strasbourg Revised edition

Israel-Palestine after the Gaza war and the role of the EU (debate)
MPphoto
 

  Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Mr President, we have heard from the Chair of the delegation for relations with Israel so we should not be surprised that his sympathies lie mainly with Israel and the politics of its government. One could share in his sympathy for the state of Israel, but not necessarily in that for the politics of the present Israeli Government. That is something different.

When I heard the debate on the numbers of victims on either side, this reminded me of a meeting I had with the chief negotiator for the Palestinian side, Saeb Erekat. At the time I was Minister for European Affairs of my country Belgium. He said to me, ‘Madame, we are drowning in our childrenʼs blood. The Israeli’s and ourselves are drowning in our children’s blood’. Now, that was ten years ago and since then, things have not exactly improved. On the contrary they have got worse, it seems to me. And I would try to encourage us to abandon the arithmetic of death and to engage in the difficult path to peace.

I believe it is very important that in this joint resolution before us today we state that in any case the status quo is unsustainable. If a majority, which I expect tomorrow, approves the joint resolution then I believe this is the first time we have said this so clearly.

In other words, just returning to the status quo ante, the situation as it was before the ceasefire was – let us say – interrupted, offers no solution and does not offer a solution to a sustainable new situation. I believe that this is an important statement if this Parliament makes it: it means that we support the efforts of the High Representative, of the Commission and of the Council on the path to peace.

 
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