EU Presidency Statement - Israel and the Occupied Territories

Mr. President,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia and the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey align themselves with this statement.

Mr. President,

The situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate. Bloodshed and provocations are spreading in both Israel and the occupied territories. Since September last year the conflict has claimed almost one thousand victims. There seems to be no end to the cycle of violence and reprisals. The absence of any political prospects is fuelling further confrontation and playing into the hands of the extremists. The European Union cannot but deeply deplore this state of affairs.

In the Palestinian territories, Mr. President, the economic and humanitarian situation is dramatic and continues to worsen alarmingly. This fact, among many others, serves only as a reminder of how urgent an immediate cessation of all forms of violence is.

The European Union once again calls on both parties to implement as swiftly as possible, without preliminary nor condition, the recommendations contained in the Mitchell Report and Tenet Plan. It asks the Israeli authorities immediately to complete the withdrawal of their troops from the zone that is exclusively under Palestinian administration (Zone A). The Union asks the Palestinian Authority to do its utmost to arrest those responsible for acts of violence against Israel.

We earnestly hope that the parties will be able to resume the peace process. It constitutes the one and only reasonable hope of putting an end to a conflict, which, if it continues, can only compound the sufferings of the peoples affected.

Mr. President,

The dramatic economic and humanitarian situation is certainly exacerbated by the blockades of the occupied Palestinian territories and of the towns and villages inside those territories. The European Union condemns such practices as well as the obstacles to the free movement of goods and persons, to the supply of humanitarian aid and to the activities of United Nations agencies such as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The European Union has frequently approached the Israeli authorities to lift the blockade on the Occupied territories and stop destroying the socio-economic activity of the Palestinian population. Moreover, we call upon the Israeli government to transfer the amount of the VAT due to the Palestinian authority, amount going up to 150 millions dollars now.

Mr. President,

The European Union strongly condemns the suicide attacks, in particular those targeted at Israeli civilians. No means can justify this kind of attacks. The European Union it warns against the wrongs of terrorism, which threaten the stability of the entire region.

We condemn the Israeli army's reoccupation of zones under the control of the Palestinian Authority. Moreover, the European Union considers extra-judicial killings illegal under international law and unacceptable, and calls on Israel to show the utmost restraint in the use of military force. The European Union deplores as well the demolition of houses, the uprooting of trees or the destruction of property.

I would also reiterate the opposition of the European Union to the closure of Orient House and other Palestinian institutions of East-Jerusalem, and recall our request to see these institutions reopen and their archives returned. Unilateral acts can do nothing to alter the international community's long-standing position on the status of the Occupied territories, including East-Jerusalem. Moreover, the destruction of houses in East-Jerusalem fuels the tension and the deterioration of the living conditions of the Palestinian population of the city. We call upon the Israeli government to put an end to it.

Mr. President,

Since the signing of the Oslo agreements, the population of the colonies in the Occupied territories has doubled. In recent months we have observed intensive building in the existing colonies and the continued establishment of new settlement outposts. In the view of the European Union, all new settlements or extension prejudice the outcome of negotiations between the parties and are contrary to international law. Moreover, this policy will not serve the cause of a just and lasting peace. It is absolutely essential that they stop immediately.

In its report, the Fact-Finding Committee established at Sharm El-Sheikh, the Mitchell Committee, stressed the importance of this issue: it will be extremely difficult to make a cessation of violence last if the Israeli government does not freeze all settlement-building activities. Israel declared that the report provides a constructive and positive attempt to break the cycle of violence and facilitate a resumption of bilateral negotiations for peace. We would like to underline that the report recommends a total freezing of all colonization activities, including natural extension of existing implementations. The Mitchell Commission also underlined in its report Palestinian obligations. The European Union welcomes Palestinian acceptance of the Mitchell report and calls upon the Palestinian Authority to take concrete and specific steps to end the violence, resume security cooperation, prevent terrorists attacks and implement the other recommendations of the Mitchell Committee and the Tenet Plan.

Finally, the European Union is of the view that the parties involved in the conflict in the Occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, must abide by the obligations arising from the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Mr. President,

At this point I would recall that the European Union has called for the creation of an impartial surveillance mechanism, in agreement with the parties, which can help them to overcome their differences and the obstacles they are encountering in their efforts to achieve reconciliation. We remain ready to contribute to such a mechanism.

Mr. President,

We expect the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to summon all the necessary energy and efforts to ensure a return to calm and improve the situation of the Palestinian population in the Occupied Territories with a view to resuming direct talks and re-launching the peace process.

As noted by our Foreign Ministers at the tenth anniversary of the Madrid Conference, numerous stages have been completed in the course of the peace process, despite numerous difficulties and the obstacles encountered. This has produced the elements of an agreement which it is necessary to preserve and, more importantly, to bring to fruition, in particular, Mr. President, the principles of the Madrid Conference, in particular that of land for peace, United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, the agreements signed by the parties, which have led to real results on the ground, and the progress made in previous negotiations.

For its part, Mr. President, the European Union remains ready to assist in finding a definitive solution to the Middle-East conflict in close collaboration with the parties concerned.

Thank you, Mr. President.

| Arriba |