Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-05-Speech-4-179"
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"en.20001005.12.4-179"2
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"Madam President, Mohamed was one of the many babies killed by the Israeli army. Eight years on from the signing of the peace agreements, the army still occupies over 80 % of the territories.
The settlers have opened fire. How can we describe these new massacres and this Palestinian rebellion. More stone-throwing youths? It is more than that. The Palestinian security forces are also firing. The explosion had been brewing for months: it is difficult to believe in peace when you consider that the number of settlers has grown from 141 000 to over 200 000 since the signing of the peace agreements; when you cannot find work to support your children, which is the case of my friend Talal who works as a builder in the settlements, maybe even on the land which used to belong to his family; it is difficult when the soldiers stop you from moving around. Ariel Sharon was the catalyst but the responsibility also lies with the government which allowed him to visit the holy site and did not stop the soldiers firing on the crowd.
While condemning all forms of violence, we cannot make any parallel between the Israeli violence and the Palestinian violence. On the one hand, there is a state and an army occupying a territory in breach of all international laws and, on the other, there is a people who is tired of suffering and humiliation. This is not the work of Hamas: it is the uprising of a people who have had enough of being oppressed and are not being given satisfaction even by their own leaders and decision-makers. It is the revolt of the Palestinians who live in Israel who are not only demonstrating their solidarity with their brothers but demanding to be treated as citizens with full rights and to be allowed to live free from discrimination in Israel.
We must play our part in bringing the violence to an end and re-establishing negotiations: the fighting must cease, the Israeli soldiers must be withdrawn, there must be an international inquiry, at which Europe must be present, and the Palestinian people must be protected. It would be enough for the European Union and the UN to make it clear that the UN resolutions, starting with resolutions 338, 242 and 194 on the return of refugees to their homes, apply. This would in itself have a major impact and could change Israel's – by now – firm conviction that it can always do whatever it likes with impunity.
The right of the State of Israel to exist and to security is very important to us, as are the Israelis themselves who, together with the Palestinians, are currently demonstrating that they have had enough of occupation and enough of this violence. But the rights of the Palestinian State are no less important. In my opinion, Europe can and must do a great deal in this direction, and it must be clear and resolute. It is true that peace is achieved through dialogue but rights have to be respected, and here rights are not being respected. It is not a question of the Israelis making concessions; we must enforce the law."@en1
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