MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the EU’s role in the Middle East peace process
7.9.2015 - (2015/2685(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Charles Tannock, Bas Belder, Anna Elżbieta Fotyga, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Zdzisław Krasnodębski, Ryszard Czarnecki, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Angel Dzhambazki, Geoffrey Van Orden, Raffaele Fitto, Arne Gericke on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0836/2015
B8‑0836/2015
European Parliament resolution on the EU’s role in the Middle East peace process
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on the Middle East,
– having regard to the conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council on the Middle East Peace Process of 17 November 2014,
– having regard to the conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council on the Middle East Peace Process of 22 July 2014,
– having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1701,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to be viewed in the larger context of the Israeli-Arab conflict;
B. whereas any change in the status quo affecting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict might have destabilising effects;
1. Welcomes the appointment of Mr Fernando Gentilini as the EU Special Representative to the Middle East Peace Process (EUSR MEPP) and supports the EUSR MEPP in his efforts to restart the MEPP in cooperation with the Quartet, the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Government;
2. Reiterates its continued support for a negotiated two-states-for-two-peoples solution on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions; therefore welcomes the Arab Peace Initiative and the New Paradigm for the Israeli-Palestinian Political Process as a basis for a lasting solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict, and supports the return to direct peace negotiations without delay;
3. Welcomes the positive role and necessary support that the EU wishes to provide in facilitating the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the larger Israeli-Arab conflict through peaceful and constructive means, which serve the EU’s interests of security, stability and prosperity in the Middle East; calls on the EU to devise a positive incentives package for both the Palestinians and the Israelis, to be implemented by all parties, including regional actors such as the League of Arab States, at the start of the negotiations, as the sole means of successfully creating the necessary positive atmosphere in which the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority can be relaunched and trust be rebuilt; urges all the EU institutions and Member States, for that reason, to encourage trade, cultural, scientific, energy, water and economic relations between Israel and its neighbours in the region, including trilateral trade between Member States, Israel and the Palestinian Authority;
4. Notes that recent events in the wider Middle East pose serious threats to the EU, as well as to its immediate neighbours; reiterates the EU’s fundamental commitment to the security of Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and all other countries in the Middle East, including with regard to current and emerging threats in the region; notes specifically, for that reason, the serious threat posed by ISIS and other terrorist organisations to the citizens of the Middle East and calls upon relevant regional actors to cease the funding of terror groups who commit gross atrocities and human rights violations;
5. Stresses the imperative need for the EU to work in partnership with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan towards preventing the re-arming of terrorist groups in Gaza and the West Bank, their smuggling of weapons, manufacturing of rockets and building of tunnels; stresses once more the overwhelming need for a demilitarised Gaza and an end to the armament of Hamas, in line with the Foreign Affairs Council conclusion of July 2014; calls upon all terrorist groups to put an immediate end to their activities and to renounce violence so as to realise the long overdue peace, stability and prosperity in both Israel and the future Palestinian state;
6. Denounces the use of hate speech and incitement in the public arena, which run counter to the Middle East Peace Process and EU values of fostering a culture of peace; calls on the Palestinian Authority to recognise Israel’s legitimate right to exist as the homeland of the Jewish people; calls on the Palestinian Authority to uphold non-violence, to respect previous agreements and to facilitate cooperation in the reconstruction of Gaza; reiterates the call on the Palestinian leadership to use its UN status constructively and not to undertake unilateral steps which would lead further away from a negotiated solution;
7. Stresses the need for the opening of crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and people to and from the Gaza Strip, and the need for EU funding to go to specific, well-defined projects in Gaza, in line solely with the trilateral mechanism for financial support, and for it to be ensured that it goes to the civilians intended; reiterates the need for the Palestinian Authority to take charge of the Gaza Strip;
8. Calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service to provide funding to NGOs in the region whose political goals are in line with the overall goals of the Middle East Peace Process;
9. Welcomes the setting up of the Euro-Mediterranean Gas Platform; highlights the role this initiative can play in fostering regional cooperation and bringing North African and European countries closer together through cooperation on energy-related matters;
10. Stresses that enhanced dialogue on energy-related issues in the Mediterranean could help spur regional cooperation, promote regional stability and ensure environmental integrity; suggests therefore that the EU engage more strongly in energy diplomacy in the MENA region, as outlined in the Energy Union;
11. 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 EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the governments and parliaments of the members of the UN Security Council, the Middle East Quartet Envoy, the Knesset and the Government of Israel, the President of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Parliament and Government of Egypt, the Parliament and Government of Jordan, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the members of the Arab League.