Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-06-Speech-3-167"
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"en.20060906.21.3-167"2
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"Mr President, eyes have understandably been on the slaughter in Lebanon. However, we must not allow the world to forget the crimes that are being committed in Gaza, which has effectively been turned into a prison for Palestinians. Let us not forget that since the end of June, over 200 Palestinians – at least 44 of them children – have been killed; nor forget that thousands more have been forced to flee their homes; nor forget that when we talk about the Israeli prisoners, who must indeed be freed, there are also 9 000 Palestinian prisoners who remain in Israeli prisons, over half of whom are detained without trial; nor forget that elected Hamas parliamentarians remain under arrest. It is clear that no long-term peace in the Middle East is possible until we see an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
There has been much hand-wringing in this Chamber today, saying, ‘if only there were something more we could do as the EU’. We beg the Israeli authorities to unblock the Palestinian revenues that are being withheld; we plead with them to open the border crossings; we beg for an end to the air and sea blockade; we plead with them not to start building yet more illegal settlements; yet nothing really changes.
I believe that the time is long overdue to echo the recommendation of the heads of the EU mission in Jerusalem and call for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the grounds of human rights abuses, as provided for by Article 2 of that Agreement. If we, as the EU, do not take ourselves and our agreements seriously, then we cannot be surprised if others do not either.
Madam Commissioner, you said our credibility is at stake. Yes, it is. As the EU, we have serious influence in the Middle East and we should be using it to greater effect."@en1
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