Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-02-01-Speech-3-065"
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"en.20060201.12.3-065"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, although a great deal has already been said under item 4 on the order of business about the elections in Palestine, the consequences resulting from them, and the way forward in their aftermath, I would like to raise a number of points that were the theme of the Council meeting on Monday.
However, the Council decided on 12 December, in view of the change in the situation, notably the prospect of elections to the Knesset in Israel, not to publish this study, but instead to inform high-ranking representatives of the Israeli Government of the European Union’s concerns in this area.
Since then, there have been two
one by the EU troika to the Israeli foreign ministry on 19 December and another by the presidency to the principal Israeli political parties on the 23rd of that month.
The European Union has noted with approval the decision by Israel to allow some voting to take place in East Jerusalem, which will contribute to the successful conduct of the elections.
The first thing to be said – and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs De Keyser and all the Members who have participated in observing this election – is that the elections went according to plan. Everyone is agreed on that, and I believe that they were an unambiguous and democratic expression of the popular will. That is beyond question.
The response from the Presidency and practically all the foreign Ministers of the European Union Member States was immediate, and they acted independently of each other, in a manner indicating that they were, in essence, guided by the same principles. I would refer the House also to the statements made by the Middle Eastern Quartet between 26 and 30 January, which make it clear that the international community continues to regard a lasting and peaceful solution of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians as conditional upon non-violence, the acknowledgement of Israel’s right to exist, and compliance with all current bilateral obligations.
It was and is particularly important that the statements by the Council and the Member States of the European Union were almost indistinguishable from those made by our partners in the Quartet. What both the Quartet and the European Union expect of any future Palestinian government is an unambiguous commitment to the principles I have enumerated, and they stress that international support for the new Palestinian Autonomous Authority will very definitely be conditional upon adherence to these principles.
Israel and the Palestinian Autonomous Authority have again been reminded of the obligations imposed on them by the Roadmap, and, in taking this line, the Quartet has received substantial backing from the Council, which also expects of the newly-elected Palestinian Legislative Council that it will endorse a government committed to the principles of a peaceful and negotiated solution to the conflict with Israel founded upon agreements already reached and on the Roadmap, to the rule of law, to reforms and to proper management of its finances. If all these things are in place, the European Union will be prepared to continue to support the Palestinians in their economic development and in their building of a democratic state.
To come to decisions at the present time would be premature, and, as we cannot do that, we must instead spell it out loud and clear that the European Union, like the other partners that are making their own contributions, is prepared to continue giving its support subject to certain conditions being met.
This debate was, of course, originally prompted by the subject of East Jerusalem, and I would now like to say a few things with specific reference to that. What emerged from the previous debate was the very clear expectation that the European Union should take an even-handed approach, with a coherent policy in the Middle East that is guided not merely by the interests of either Israel or the Palestinians, but for which balance is an absolute requirement.
The European Union is, moreover, concerned about Israel’s activities in and around East Jerusalem, including the continuing settlement and extension of the dividing wall, as well as the destruction of Palestinians’ homes. These activities are contrary to international law, make a final settlement of the Jerusalem issue less likely and threaten to make impossible a solution founded upon the coexistence of two viable states.
These considerations have prompted the Council to ask the relevant Council offices to produce for the EU a detailed analysis of the East Jerusalem situation, drawing on data supplied by the EU’s missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah."@en1
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