MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza
16.10.2023 - (2023/2899(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Manfred Weber, Antonio López‑Istúriz White, Michael Gahler, Rasa Juknevičienė, David McAllister, Željana Zovko, Isabel Wiseler‑Lima, Andrey Kovatchev, David Lega, Tom Vandenkendelaere
on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0436/2023
B9‑0436/2023
European Parliament resolution on the despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the EU terrorist list, which includes Hamas as a terrorist organisation,
– having regard to Articles 2(4) and 51 of the UN Charter which ensure the right of self-defence,
– having regard to international humanitarian law,
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 7 October 2023 the terrorist organisation Hamas launched a massive, unprovoked, brutal and bloody attack against Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and taking more than a hundred hostages; whereas according to the Israel Defense Forces, around 1 200 innocent people have been killed in Israel;
B. whereas on 7 October 2023 Hamas terrorists carried out an unprecedented terrorist attack against Israel by air, land and sea, firing thousands of rockets into southern and central Israel and indiscriminately slaughtering and abducting hostages in Israel’s southern communities, including children, women, the elderly, Holocaust survivors and some EU nationals;
C. whereas on 7 October 2023 more innocents civilians were killed solely because of their Jewish faith than at any time since 1945;
D. whereas Israel is a sovereign, democratic and independent state and has a right to self-defence under international law;
E. whereas the targeting and abduction of civilian hostages, as well as the use of civilians as human shields, constitute serious war crimes;
F. whereas on 13 October 2023 Hamas announced that 13 hostages had lost their lives;
G. whereas the EU must stand united in solidarity with and support of Israel in response to this attack;
H. whereas any escalation of this war resulting in the opening of other fronts by Hezbollah, Iran or other organisations or countries would increase tensions in the region and lead to even greater human suffering and political instability;
I. whereas, with this attack, Hamas and the forces behind it are trying to halt or reverse the normalisation of relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours through the Abraham Accords;
J. whereas the Commission has indicated that, following the terrorist attack, it is reviewing the channels through which funds reach both the population of Palestine and the Palestinian National Authority to ensure that they do not end up directly or indirectly in the hands of the Hamas or Hezbollah terrorist organisations; whereas the Commission stated that this review will not affect humanitarian aid;
K. whereas a significant amount of false information and manipulated content has been circulating on X, Meta and TikTok; whereas the antisemitic disinformation campaign is closely linked with the pro-Kremlin campaign on these platforms; whereas there should be no tolerance for terrorism, the glorification of violence or those calling for the destruction of Israel and Jewish life;
L. whereas the media have consistently reported celebrations by migrants hosted in reception centres in support of Hamas’s deadly terror attack against Israel, raising serious security threats for their host countries in Europe;
1. Condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the despicable terrorist attacks and murder committed by Hamas against Israel and its people and declares its steadfast and united support to the State of Israel and its people;
2. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages who have been taken by Hamas and for the bodies of deceased hostages to be returned; recalls that the targeting and taking of hostages is a violation of international law and constitutes an international war crime;
3. Recalls that Hamas’s terrorist actions have no justification or legitimacy and reiterates its full solidarity with all the victims who have been savagely attacked by Hamas;
4. Reaffirms Israel’s legitimate right to defend its people and its sovereign and independent territory, and expresses unequivocal, firm and united support for the State of Israel;
5. Calls on the Member States to remain united and coordinated, together as allies, and as common friends of Israel, to ensure that Israel is able to defend itself and to ultimately set the conditions for a peaceful and integrated Middle East;
6. Underlines the importance of differentiating between the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspirations on the one side, and the Hamas terrorist organisation and their acts of terror on the other side, which represent neither those aspirations nor the Palestinian people;
7. Calls for deliveries of food, water and medication to Gaza in line with international humanitarian law and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the civilian population; reiterates that everything possible must be done to avoid the loss of innocent civilian lives; deeply regrets the losses in Gaza provoked by Hamas terrorist acts and the refusal of Hamas to allow Palestinians to leave Gaza City after Israel’s call for evacuation ahead of an imminent attack on Hamas positions;
8. Stresses that other states and organisations hostile to Israel, such as Iran and Hezbollah, must refrain from exploiting these terrorist attacks for their own advantage and reiterates its calls for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be added to the EU terrorist list;
9. Deplores the antisemitic celebrations and chants which occurred in some migrant reception centres, as well as across the streets of Europe and within our educational institutions; urges the competent authorities to investigate those incidents of incitement to hatred and to take adequate measures to prevent them from happening again; stresses that there is no place in the European Union for hate speech and hate crime, and that all forms and manifestations of hatred are incompatible with the values on which the EU is founded;
10. Urges the Commission to take all necessary steps to ensure that Meta and X abide by the rules set out in the Digital Services Act[1] and, where applicable, the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation and that strict measures be taken against these platforms should the spread of hateful and harmful content on them continue unhindered;
11. Urges the Commission to initiate a thorough review of all EU financial assistance to Palestine in order to ensure that no EU funds directly or indirectly finance any terrorist organisation;
12. 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 and the Knesset and Government of Israel.
- [1] Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1).