MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Israeli Government’s decision to expand settlements in the West Bank
10.12.2012 - (2012/2911(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, Ivo Vajgl, Niccolò Rinaldi, Graham Watson, Marielle de Sarnez, Louis Michel, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Marietje Schaake, Alexandra Thein on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0561/2012
B7‑0566/2012
European Parliament resolution on the Israeli Government’s decision to expand settlements in the West Bank
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the relevant UN resolutions, in particular UN General Assembly resolution 181 (1947) and UN Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 252 (1968), 338 (1973), 476 (1980), 478 (1980), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003), and 1850 (2008),
– having regard to the Oslo Accords (‘Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements’) of 13 September 1993,
– having regard to the statements of Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, in particular those on settlement expansion of 8 June 2012 and 2 December 2012,
– having regard to the Charter of the United Nations,
– having regard to the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip of 28 September 1995,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the Israeli Government has announced the construction of approximately 3 000 new housing units in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem;
B. whereas a number of Member States have formally protested and summoned Israeli ambassadors over the announced settlement expansions;
C. having regard to the declarations recently made by the political leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshal, clearly rejecting the recognition of the State of Israel;
D. whereas a UN General Assembly resolution was adopted on 29 November 2012 granting Palestine non-member observer State status at the United Nations;
E. whereas the announcement of the Israeli authorities on new settlements in East Jerusalem weakens the credibility and legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority;
F. whereas the EU has repeatedly confirmed its support for the two-state solution, with the State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable State of Palestine living side by side in peace and security;
G. whereas the Oslo Accords of 1993 divided the territory of the West Bank into three zones: Areas A, B and C; whereas Area C, which is under Israeli civil and security control, constitutes 62 % of the territory and is the only continuous area, with most of the fertile and resource-rich land in the West Bank; whereas the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip of 1995 stated that Area C would be gradually transferred to Palestinian jurisdiction;
H. whereas East Jerusalem is increasingly detached from the West Bank, while the Historic Basin within Jerusalem is increasingly detached from the rest of East Jerusalem;
I. whereas the European Parliament has repeatedly expressed its support for the state-building efforts of President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and acknowledged and welcomed the success of Prime Minister Fayyad’s two-year state-building plan;
1. Condemns the Israeli Government’s announcement regarding the construction of approximately 3 000 new housing units in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem;
2. Stresses again that such expansion may represent a step undermining the prospects of a viable Palestine, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both it and Israel;
3. Condemns the declarations made by the political leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshal, rejecting the recognition of the State of Israel and clearly refusing any Israeli presence in Jerusalem;
4. Reiterates its strong support for the two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as capital of both states, with the State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable State of Palestine living side by side in peace and security; fully supports the Council conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process of 14 May 2012, reiterating that the EU will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties;
5. Stresses the importance of protecting the Palestinian population and its rights in Area C and in East Jerusalem, which is essential for keeping the viability of the two-state solution alive;
6. Stresses that Israeli settlements in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem are illegal under international law; calls for an immediate, complete and permanent freeze on all Israeli settlement construction and expansion activities, and to stop further evictions of Palestinian families from their homes and the demolition of Palestinian houses;
7. Urges the EU and its Member States once again to play a more active political role, also within the Quartet, in the efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians; supports the High Representative in her efforts to create a credible prospect of relaunching the peace process; stresses that the provisions of the EU-Israel Association Agreement concerning respect for the human rights of Palestinians should be respected;
8. Calls on Hamas to recognise Israel’s right to exist and urges the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Government to relaunch the Middle East peace process;
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the EU Special Representative to the Middle East Peace Process, the President of the UN General Assembly, the governments and parliaments of the UN Security Council members, the Middle East Quartet Envoy, the Knesset and the Government of Israel, the President of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council.