MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
13.2.2008
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Francis Wurtz, Luisa Morgantini and Kyriacos Triantaphyllides
on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
on Gaza
B6‑0072/2008
European Parliament resolution on Gaza
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on the Middle East, in particular those of 1 June 2006 on the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories and the role of the EU, 16 November 2006 on the situation in the Gaza Strip, 21 June 2007 on MEDA and financial support to Palestine - evaluation, implementation and control, 12 July 2007 on the Middle East and 11 October 2007 on the humanitarian situation in Gaza,
– having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973),
– having regard to the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949),
– having regard to the conclusions of the External Relations Council of 28 January 2008,
– having regard to the declaration on the situation in Gaza by the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Political Affairs, Security and Human Rights,
– having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas, as a result of the blockade on the movement of people and goods, the massive devastation of public facilities and private homes, the disruption of hospitals, clinics and schools, the partial denial of access to proper drinking water, food and electricity, and the destruction of agricultural land, the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has reached an unacceptably catastrophic level,
B. whereas, as a result of the closing of the border-crossings in and out Gaza, 1.5 million Palestinians are facing a life without the essential requirements for survival,
C. whereas the Israeli military attacks and incursions in the Gaza Strip are further aggravating the severe humanitarian crisis, despair and frustration in Gaza,
D. whereas hundreds of thousands of Palestinians crossed the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in the past weeks, after breaking through the border wall, in order to find essential goods for their basic needs; whereas the breach has now been completely closed, threatening – if no viable solution is found – to turn Gaza back into the world's largest open-air prison,
E. whereas the firing of rockets from Gaza into Israeli territory has continued; whereas the suicide terrorist attack in Dimona killed and wounded civilians,
F. whereas the recent events illustrate the gap between the aspirations of the political process and the cruel realities of the situation on the ground; whereas the improvement of the living conditions of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, together with the revival of the peace process and the setting-up of functioning Palestinian institutions, is a key aspect in the efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,
G. whereas, despite the considerable financial support from the European Union for the Palestinians and all its efforts to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the situation is worsening because of the lack of any substantial progress in the political process, the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories and the policy of isolation of the Gaza Strip;
H. whereas the boycotting of the National Unity Government, even though it was formed following democratic elections, whose results were validated by international observers, and the absence of any political perspective as a result of this isolation, have contributed to accentuating the divisions from which the Palestinian people are currently suffering,
1. Considers that the recent developments in Gaza and at the border crossings with Egypt clearly illustrate that the policy of isolating Gaza is intolerable from a legal point of view and cruel from a humanitarian point of view, but has also proved to be counterproductive at political level; calls on the European Union to draw the appropriate conclusion from this fact and to insist in its relations with Israel on the immediate lifting of the blockade of the Gaza Strip;
2. Reiterates its deepest concern about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and expresses its solidarity with the civilian population affected; strongly condemns the illegal Israeli policy of collective punishment of the Palestinian people in Gaza; welcomes the petition fron 10 Israeli human rights organisations against fuel and electricity cuts in the Gaza strip; urgently calls on Israel, as the occupying power, to fulfil its international obligations under the Geneva Conventions to guarantee the flow of humanitarian aid, humanitarian assistance and essential services, such as electricity and fuel, to the Gaza Strip;
3. Calls on Israel to urgently cease any military action which could endanger the life of civilians, as well as extrajudicial killings;
4. Welcomes Egypt's positive reaction to the disturbances at Rafah, which allowed many Palestinian families to have access to essential goods for their basic needs; condemns the Israeli plans to construct a new fence at the border with Egypt;
5. Reiterates its call for the reopening of the crossings in and out of Gaza for both humanitarian and commercial flows in order to ensure freedom of movement for people and goods; calls on Israel to ensure the movement of people and goods at Rafah, in compliance with the Agreement on Movement and Access and the EU Border Assistance Mission, as well as the movement of goods at Karni; calls for the resumption and strengthening of the EU Border Assistance Mission at Rafah under the provisions of the existing international agreements, and for an increased presence and role for international forces in the area within this context;
6. Calls for a review of the Agreement on Movement and Access which is due to expire on 4 May; takes the view that the conditions for free movement for the Palestinian population need to be considerably improved and that Egypt should be added to the signatories of the agreement;
7. Welcomes the proposal by the Palestinian Authority to take control of the crossings, to be based on an agreement involving Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and supports the recent resolution of the Arab League in this respect; calls on the Palestinian Authority, nevertheless, to contribute to establishing the necessary conditions to involve the controlling authorities in the Gaza Strip in this regard;
8. Calls on the Council and the Commission to continue to guarantee, together with the international community, essential humanitarian aid for the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, with special regard to the needs of particularly vulnerable groups;
9. Calls on Hamas to put an immediate stop to the shooting of rockets at Israeli civilians;
10. Would welcome the start of a dialogue between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, despite the political deadlock, with the aim of facilitating the functioning of the public institutions providing essential services and the operations of the international humanitarian offices, agencies and organisations seeking to improve the conditions of the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip; stresses the great importance of national reconciliation with a view to bridging the gap created by internal divisions and the military takeover and to ensure, in spite of 40 years of occupation and separation, a permanent geographical connection between, and the peaceful and lasting political reunification of, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank;
11. Expresses its deep concern that the deterioration of the situation of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank on the ground is undermining the credibility of the negotiations, which should lead to the end of the occupation and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian State alongside Israel on the 4 June 1967 borders; urges Israel to immediately stop the construction of settlements, to close check points in the West Bank instead of increasing their numbers and to end the incursion into towns like Nablus and Bethlehem; reiterates the importance of the release of political prisoners in building confidence; underlines the importance of concluding a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues, without exception, by the end of 2008; calls on the European Union to play a more active political role to this end;
12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, the Quartet Envoy to the Middle East, the President of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, the President of the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Israeli Government, the Knesset, and the Egyptian Government and Parliament.