The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on the Middle East, in particular those of 7 September 2006 on the situation in the Middle East and 16 November 2006 on the situation in the Gaza Strip,

–  having regard to the conclusions of the External Relations Council meetings of 23 April 2007 and 24 May 2007,

–  having regard to the European Council’s conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process of 18 June 2007,

–  having regard to the statements of the Quartet of 30 May 2007 and of 27 June 2007,

–  having regard to the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit of 25 June 2007,

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

A.  whereas the 40th anniversary of the war that ended with the occupation by Israel of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is currently being marked,

B.  whereas the Government of National Unity, which was formed following the Mecca Agreement of 8 February, was dismissed by President Abbas after Hamas militias violently took control of the Gaza Strip; whereas, at the same time, the Palestinian Authority President declared a state of emergency and installed an emergency government for the Palestinian Territories under Prime Minister Fayad,

C.  whereas the Government of National Unity was based on a platform which called for the establishment of a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders, the consolidation and expansion of the ceasefire and the honouring of past agreements signed by the PLO,

D.  whereas the deterioration of the economic and social situation in the Palestinian Occupied Territories is due mainly to the restrictions on the movement of goods and people, which have resulted in a deep humanitarian crisis in Gaza and have led in practice to the isolation of the Gaza Strip, and to the financial crisis in the Palestinian Authority brought about by Israel’s illegal refusal to transfer the tax and customs revenues it withholds to the Palestinian Authority,

E.  whereas the decision of the Quartet to suspend direct aid to the Palestinian National Authority has contributed to the deepening of the crisis in spite of the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM), which was created to ensure the continued delivery of essential social public services to the Palestinian population, and the increase in European funds,

F.  whereas the Israeli Government has decided to restore full financial ties with the new Government and to resume the monthly transfer of taxes and unfreeze the money withheld from the Palestinians since early 2006,

G.  whereas the prolongation of the occupation and the division of Palestinian territory are hampering the creation of a Palestinian State and undermining any prospect of peace in the region; whereas it has become all the more urgent to take forward a credible peace process which can give the Palestinian people the prospect of an independent, democratic and viable State existing side by side with Israel and bring peace and stability to the Middle East,

H.  whereas a visit by the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza and the West Bank took place from 30 April to 3 May 2007,

I.  whereas fighting broke out on 20 May between infiltrated Al Qaeda-linked radical groups and the Lebanese army in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in Northern Lebanon and later in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, causing the death of more than 100 people,

J.  whereas this emergency situation highlights once again the plight of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon,

K.  whereas over the last weeks and months a series of bomb attacks has taken place in Lebanon; whereas Walid Eido, a Member of the Lebanese Parliament, and six soldiers serving with the UN peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) have been murdered in bomb attacks; whereas these attacks were intended to destabilise the country, which is still stuck in a deep institutional crisis and political deadlock,

L.  whereas on 30 May the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1757, Chapter VII of which sets up a mixed Lebanese-international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in 2005 and the subsequent string of political killings,

M.  whereas the decision to set up this tribunal came in response to a request by the Lebanese Government and the 2005 UNSC decision to set up an Independent Investigation Commission on Hariri’s killing after it was found that Lebanon’s inquiry was seriously flawed,

1.  Calls on the EU to take urgent measures to ensure the provision of emergency and humanitarian assistance to the population of Gaza, which can be provided in part by the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM), extended until September 2007, and to guarantee unimpeded access to this aid within the Gaza Strip; calls in this connection on the Council immediately to resume its EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) at the Rafah border crossing; calls on the Council, in the same spirit, to make every effort to avoid the isolation of the Gaza Strip and to urge the Palestinian authorities in Gaza to improve the security and the economic and social situation of the inhabitants;

2.  Calls on the Israeli Government to respect and perform its responsibilities towards the Palestinian civilian population and to lift mobility restrictions which impede freedom of movement of people and goods, in accordance with the Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA);

3.  Calls on Hamas immediately to stop summary executions and all forms of physical and psychological harassment and to guarantee the basic rights and security of the population of Gaza without any distinction, with special focus on the rights of women; urges Hamas to guarantee free access to the borders of Gaza to people who want to leave the Gaza Strip;

4.  Calls on all parties to put an end to the inter-Palestinian violence and to contribute to restoring order and security, which should be based on respect for political opponents;

5.  Acknowledges that it is of the utmost importance to support the Arab League’s call for the restoration of Palestinian national unity and the unity of Palestinian territory; supports, in this connection, all efforts aimed at building a reconciliation process;

6.  Stresses that the EU policy of refusing to resume direct aid and recognise the Government of National Unity, which was the legitimate expression of the will of the Palestinian population, has contributed to the collapse of that government and the present tragic situation; calls on the Council, therefore, to learn from the errors of the past and to resume negotiations so as to overcome the current political and institutional deadlock;

7.  Is convinced that it is all the more urgent to take forward a credible peace process which can give the Palestinian people the prospect of an independent, democratic and viable State existing side by side with Israel; calls on the Council, therefore, to take sine die the initiative of launching an international peace conference on the Middle East aimed at reaching a comprehensive regional peace agreement based on UN resolutions, and especially on the proposed Arab Peace Initiative, which should be seriously considered by Israel;

8.  Urges the Israeli Government to stop the extension of the settlements and to withdraw the settlements from the West Bank and East Jerusalem in full compliance with the UN resolutions and to engage in ‘a phased release plan’ for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention centres; considers that this plan should begin with the release of minors in custody; calls once more for the immediate release of the members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and Ministers; urges the Israeli Government to release without delay Marwan Barghouti as a serious signal of co-existence and dialogue with Palestinian leaders;

9.  Welcomes the release of the BBC journalist Alan Johnston and calls for the immediate release by Palestinian radical groups of Corporal Shalit;

10.  Supports President’s Abbas call to deploy a UN peace-keeping force in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the border area between Israel and Gaza in order to protect the civilian population in the framework of a general political strategy aimed at immediately relaunching the peace process and the negotiations on final status;

11.  Expresses serious concern about the appropriateness of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair’s appointment as the Quartet representative and stresses the regional need for a mediator accepted by all parties;

12.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to provide all the necessary means to enable the International Tribunal for Lebanon to work effectively and carry out its mandate;

13.  Urges all the Lebanese parties to support the Tribunal and on Syria to cooperate fully in its work;

14.  Calls on all the Lebanese parties and factions to refrain from acts that could further endanger the stability of the country and that are still currently blocking the functioning of the fragile Lebanese institutions; calls, in this connection, for the relaunch of the dialogue for national unity in order to iron out differences and prevent a governmental vacuum in the run-up to the presidential elections scheduled for the autumn of this year;

15.  Urges the Lebanese Government to make every effort to put an end to all forms of discrimination against the Palestinian refugees and facilitate their integration in Lebanese society if they so wish; urges, in this connection, the Council and the Commission to provide the necessary assistance within the framework of the Action Plan; stresses that this emergency situation further underlines the necessity to find a just and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian refugees;

16.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative for CFSP, the Quartet Representative, the President of the Palestinian Authority, all members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Knesset and the Israeli Government, and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.