Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-01-14-Speech-3-284"
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"en.20090114.16.3-284"2
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"Mr President, after Prime Minister Topolánek made some joking remarks today, I can say that, as an Austrian MEP, I am pleased that both the Commission and the Czech Council Presidency are represented by Austrians. I wish you a very warm welcome! President-in-Office, I realise of course that your loyalties lie with the Czech Republic.
Ladies and gentlemen, when, shortly before Israel’s unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip, I travelled to the country as part of a delegation with Mr Schulz, as Chairman of the delegation, the Deputy Prime Minister at the time said, ‘do not interfere, this will work well’. Others – such as former Minister for Foreign Affairs Josip Elin – said, ‘this will lead to chaos’ – and he was and remains right. Unilateral disengagement without negotiations, without having a negotiating partner, does not make sense.
However, neither was it very well-advised of us to decide against entering into dialogue with even moderate representatives of Hamas – who may not even have belonged to Hamas, but rather have been nominated by it in the joint government. By taking this position, we helped to destroy this joint government. I know that there were some who wanted to hold talks but were not allowed to – that, too, was a mistake. We need dialogue!
I do not like Hamas, firstly because it is a terrorist organisation and secondly because of its fundamentalist views, but this is not a matter of liking or disliking; it is a matter of solutions. Therefore, we must return to dialogue and talks, as many of our fellow Members have already said today. Also, the people in Gaza must be given the chance to live half-decent lives. Why are they voting for Hamas? The answer is that they see them as the only chance, the last chance, of even surviving – and this must be changed. We must give these people an economic basis for survival, too; we must lift the boycott and end their isolation. That is the only real requirement.
Mr Brok, whom I hold in very high regard, said that the principle of proportionality was not applicable – but that is not true. The principle of proportionality applies to private as well as international law. Anyone violating it also violates international law – and that is something this House really cannot accept."@en1
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