Verbatim report of proceedings

Thursday, 19 February 2009 - Brussels

Explanations of vote

Text tabled : B6-0100/2009

  David Sumberg (PPE-DE). – Madam President, I rise to explain the fact that I was one of only five Members of this House who voted against this resolution. I did so, not because I do not want economic help to go to those who have suffered tragically in this crisis and assistance to be given to them for that reason – that is absolutely right – but simply because this resolution, like most resolutions on the Middle East, is defective. It is defective because it does not establish the rights and wrongs of the situation and, without that, the resolution cannot and should not be allowed to pass.

The fact is that we are where we are in Gaza because of the actions of the Hamas group, who have rained bombs and rockets on a sovereign state, which has the right – as has every sovereign state – to react and defend its own people. Until the responsibility for this crisis is made clear in resolutions of this Parliament, then the resolutions themselves cannot be effective. The time has come for this Parliament to say to Hamas: ‘Recognise the State of Israel, negotiate with it, end the anti-Semitic views of your charter and then we can start the peace process’.