MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

13.11.2006

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Hélène Flautre, Angelika Beer, Jill Evans, Alyn Smith, Margrete Auken and Caroline Lucas
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
on the situation in the Gaza Strip

B6‑0590

European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in the Middle East, in particular its resolution of 1 June 2006 on the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories and the role of the EU[1] and its resolution of 7 September 2006 on the situation in the Middle East,[2]

–  having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 520(1982), 426(1978), 338(1973) and 242(1967),

–  having regard to the conclusions of the External Relations Council of 15 September 2006 and 17 October 2006,

–  having regard to the statement issued by the EU Presidency on 8 November 2006,

–  having regard to the statement of EU High Representative for the CFSP Javier Solana of 8 November 2006,

–  having regard to the Geneva Conventions on international humanitarian law,

–  having regard to the statement made by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories at the UN Human Rights Council special session held in Geneva on 5 July 2006,

–  having regard to the EU statement at the UN on the Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories of 7 November 2006,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  deeply shocked at the attack by the Israeli artillery which on 8 November 2006 shelled the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun, killing 19 people, including 8 children and 6 women, most of whom were asleep in their beds,

B.  pointing out that this action was the last of a vastly disproportionate week-long operation in this town aimed at rooting out militants and stopping rocket fire into Israel from Gaza,

C.  appalled by the increasing toll of victims of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip since the end of June, when Corporal Gilat Shalit was abducted, which amounts to 247 fatalities, including 155 civilians and 57 children,

D.  having regard to the statement by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who expressed his distress and voiced sorrow for what he said was the result of a ‘technical failure’, and to the decision of the Israeli Army to initiate an internal investigation,

E.  deeply concerned at the statements by some Hamas leaders calling for the end of the unilateral truce declared a year and half ago and the resumption of suicide bombings,

F.  stressing that the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Territories is becoming more and more desperate, with two-thirds of the population living below the poverty line and the unemployment rate at over 50% in what is described as a ‘ticking bomb’ by some international observers,

G.  underlining that the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) set up by the international community in order to continue providing assistance to the Palestinian population is failing to tackle the crisis, which is further aggravated by the failure of the Israeli authorities to implement the Agreement on Movement and Access,

H.  pointing out that Israel is still illegally withholding the payment of tax and customs revenues to the Palestinian Authority, which is not even able to guarantee salaries to its employees, who continue to be on strike,

I.  whereas the Arab ministers meeting in Cairo on 13 November decided to ignore the international freezing of financial aid imposed on the Palestinian Authority and to resume direct payments,

J.  highly concerned at the composition of the new Israeli government, which includes the Yisrael Beiteinu Party, whose leader, the deputy prime minister, has on many occasions suggested stripping Israeli Arabs of fundamental political rights,

K.  whereas the Palestinian political forces are engaged in negotiations with a view to forging a government of unity that could cope better with the emergency and overcome the international community’s present boycott of the Palestinian Authority,

L.  whereas the Middle East peace process is in political and diplomatic deadlock, with no immediate prospect of a resumption of dialogue between the parties; whereas a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is needed for the establishment of peace and security in the whole region,

M.  stressing once again that the European Union has a special responsibility for peace and security in the Middle East and that no efforts should be spared to revive the Quartet and bring the Road Map back on track, with a clear timetable for its implementation,

1.  Expresses its deep indignation at, and its strongest condemnation of, the massacre perpetrated by the Israeli forces in Beit Hanun;

2.  Expresses its condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims;

3.  Calls on the Israeli authorities to halt immediately the collective punishment of the Palestinian population, which has failed to achieve the goal of preventing new attacks and has claimed further innocent victims, caused widespread damage and run counter to international law; calls at the same time, on the Palestinian militias to stop firing rockets into Israeli territory;

4.  Urges the Israeli government to put an end to the military operations, stop extra-judicial killings, human rights violations and the repeated breaches of the Geneva conventions and to lift the siege of the Gaza Strip, implementing without any further delay the Agreement on Movement and Access;

5.  Calls for the setting up an of independent international commission to carry out a full investigation into the crimes perpetrated by the Israeli army in Beit Hanun since the beginning of their operations;

6.  Calls on the Council to convene urgently 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 the full respect of Article 2 of the Association Agreement and the consequences of its non-implementation;

7.  Reiterates its call for the immediate release of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers and the members of the Palestinian government and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council imprisoned by Israel;

8.  Calls on the Council and the Member States to raise at the UN Security Council the question of the setting up and deployment in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank of a multinational force, taking Lebanon as an exemplary model, in order to protect the civilian population on both sides and facilitate humanitarian efforts;

9.  Takes the view that the EU should, in the meantime, make every effort to persuade the parties to accept the deployment of a European Civil Peace Corps with a view to resuming dialogue, building confidence and starting a genuine reconciliation process between the two sides;

10.  Calls on Member States to respect strictly the Code of Conduct on Arms Exports as regards all deliveries of weapons to Israel, and on the Council to include the question of arms deliveries to Israel in its next meeting so as to analyse and review the present unsatisfactory situation;

11.  Calls on the Israeli government to restart the payment of tax and customs revenues to the Palestinian Authority and to return all the revenues confiscated so far;

12.  Takes the view that the Temporary International Mechanism has proved incapable of coping with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Territories; calls, therefore, for its thoroughgoing review with a view to returning as soon as possible to the previous method used by the EU and the international community to fund the Palestinian National Authority;

13.  Calls on the Council to make every effort to convene a regional peace conference – like the 1991 Madrid Conference – in order to find a comprehensive, lasting and viable solution to the problems in the area, which includes the right of Israel to live in secure and recognised borders and the right of the Palestinians to a viable state based on the Occupied Territories, and to deal in full with security and disarmament issues;

14.  Takes the view that the structure of the Quartet should be reshaped and enlarged to include the Arab League; regards the ‘Beirut Plan’ of 2002, agreed by the Member Countries of the Arab League, and the Geneva Initiative as important contributions to the negotiations, which should be duly taken into account;

15.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, the Israeli government and Knesset and the President of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council.

• [1]  Texts adopted , P6_TA(2006)0237.
• [2]  Texts adopted, P6_TA-PROV(2006)0348.