Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-07-05-Speech-3-079"
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"en.20060705.3.3-079"2
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".
Mr President, I welcome this overdue debate today because, frankly, the declaration of the Presidency issued two days ago falls far short of the response that we should expect of the European Union and risks undermining the EU’s credibility in the region.
Clearly that declaration is not balanced: it gives great emphasis to the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier, which it condemns, but spends far fewer words on the completely disproportionate response of the Israeli authorities, which it only ‘regrets’. I am sorry that the representative of the Council has repeated that language and that lack of balance in her introduction this morning.
It is not only that, contrary to both international law and humanitarian principle, the Israeli Government has destroyed electricity plants and water distribution networks: it has kidnapped and arrested 64 elected representatives. That follows the terrible massacre on the beach in Gaza.
If that had happened anywhere else in the world we could have expected immediate condemnation by the international community. It is quite extraordinary that the Council has only finally spoken out now, and spoken in such muted terms. I believe it vital that we, the European Parliament, speak out and that we condemn in the strongest possible terms the arrest of democratically elected Palestinian representatives.
At the same time we condemn the kidnapping of the captured Israeli soldier and we call for his swift and safe release. But let us not forget, either, the 9 600 Palestinian political prisoners, over half of whom are being detained without trial, nearly 400 of whom are under the age of 18. Let us have some consistency.
Secondly, politics is about responding to changing events, and there has been a historic event in recent days that has been tragically overshadowed by the events in Gaza. That event was the agreement of Hamas and Fatah over the so-called prisoners’ document.
In recent weeks the international community has called upon Hamas to change and now, as it gradually begins to do so, we should recognise that fact, give credit for that fact and alter our own political response accordingly. In agreeing that national conciliation document, Hamas has demonstrated that it supports the formation of a government of national coalition, that it supports an independent Palestinian state, within the 1967 borders, and that it is taking the first steps towards recognising Israel.
We should be clear that the EU must immediately reopen dialogue with the legitimately and democratically elected representatives. The Council must reaffirm its conviction, as it has done, that the negotiated two-state solution is the only one that will bring peace and security, but that means that the EU itself must live up to its responsibilities. Together with the Quartet it must put forward concrete proposals about what it plans to do to help bring about that settled and peaceful resolution."@en1
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