Position of the European Union on the hearing in the International Court of Justice on the Israeli wall
Boogerd-Quaak (ELDR). – (NL) Madam President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, fear is a bad counsellor. I can understand Israel’s desire to protect itself, but the wall is inappropriate in this case. A UN report last September condemned the wall as illegal and charged Israel with unlawful annexation. You, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, are of the opinion that the hearings and decisions of the International Court of Justice will disturb the peace process. I do not share this view. Like Mr Cohn-Bendit, I believe it would be useful to verify to what extent international law is being violated here, and that we should not make an exception for Israel, nor, in this context, for Palestine when it makes mistakes. At present, we are talking about approximately 21 000 people who live in the area between the wall and Israel and who are being cut off from social amenities, schools and jobs. This will lead to renewed hatred and a new generation of refugees. How do you explain – I am a member of the Palestine delegation – to a group of people in Qalqilya, which was once known as the West Bank’s fruit basket and which is located near a small loophole in the wall, that everything is being closed off on three sides? That they are being cut off from two major water sources and from all the farms that should provide for the area? The town, with 40 000 inhabitants, is accessible via one single Israeli checkpoint. As I see it, something of this nature should be brought before the court. I share the view of all those who have said that the conflict between Israel and Palestine should be solved, but tolerating a wall and waiting until the conflict is over is not the right way to go about it.