Mr President, I have just heard the sad news of the murder of Mr Jose Antonio Bernal Gomez, Press Attaché at the Spanish Embassy in Baghdad. I trust you will convey the deepest condolences of the House to the Government of Spain. On behalf of the Group of the , I would also like to express our condemnation of the Haifa attack. This attack took place at a particularly sensitive time for Israel, coming as it did on the eve of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. We express our condolences to all those Israeli and Palestinian families suffering as a result of this escalation of violence. This has come about despite the resumption of dialogue on 30 April, which represented a glimmer of hope and a window of opportunity. We endorse the content of the Menendez del Valle report. It is worth highlighting that, although there are differences of opinion and divisions amongst us Europeans on a number of matters, the Middle East is one issue on which we are broadly in agreement. This consensus between all the Member States of the European Union dates back to the 1980 Venice Declaration. The broad support for these proposals in the House is also worth noting. Further to the statements made by Mr Solana and Commissioner Monti, I believe there is also clear agreement that we must maintain our political, diplomatic and economic effort. Mr President, the issue is not whether the Road Map is valid or not. The issue is that we must go down the road to peace, however difficult and dangerous it proves. After all, the Road Map is simply a way or a means of achieving peace. In this connection, we believe we should make it clear to our Israeli friends that terrorism has to be dealt with within the framework of international law. The attack on Syria in the wake of the terrorist incident is unacceptable under international law. It violates the territorial integrity of a third country and contributes to a dangerous escalation of tension in a part of the world that could most certainly do without it. I also believe we should make it clear to the Israeli Government and to Mr Sharon that the solution to the conflict does not lie in implementing the law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. It does not lie either in calls for the murder or removal of the elected representative of the Palestinian people. I recently attended the celebrations at Tel Aviv University in honour of Shimon Peres’s eightieth birthday. Bearing in mind statements made by Mr Peres, statements by other prominent Israeli leaders and statements by Mr Arafat and by the Palestinian Authority, it appears a number of concessions have been made. I refer firstly to the recognition of the right of the State of Israel to exist. This is recognition granted not only by us but also by the Palestinian Authority. Secondly, it has been recognised that peace can only be achieved through negotiation. Thirdly, it has been recognised that negotiations must be based on the 1967 borders. All this is to the credit of the Palestinian Authority. Mr Abu Abas represents this approach. He addressed the House when Mrs Fontaine was President, and was one of the negotiators of the Oslo Agreements. I would like to add also that the Palestinian National Authority could become a role model in democracy for the whole of the Arab world. I have in mind the activities it is currently engaged in and indeed the possibility of fresh elections, if the latter are permitted. In short, a hard intransigent approach leads to strengthening fanatic, anti-democratic and aggressive attitudes. I shall now turn to the matter of the building of the security fence. Mr Poettering spoke eloquently on the basis of his personal experience. I should point out too that from the Great Wall of China to the Berlin Wall, all such walls have proved utterly useless. We should appeal to the good sense of the Jewish people. They owe their very survival to the absence of walls. We must appeal to them to come to their senses and stop building a fence that does not even respect the 1967 borders. This fence will also make it impossible to achieve what we in the European Union have succeeded in doing, namely establishing a network of inter-connected interests. Links of this kind are just what the Middle East needs. They would result in fewer arms, greater opportunities for cooperation and economic development and greater opportunities for coming closer together. Finally, I would like to support the action taken by Mr Solana and also by our Representative in the Middle East. I believe the Quartet must continue its work. The possibility of establishing an international mandate involving the deployment of an international force on the ground should be considered too. This would be a peace-keeping buffer force supporting the efforts to be made by both parties. In conclusion, Mr President, the Road Map cannot be allowed to fail. Fanaticism, terrorism and intransigence cannot be allowed to ride roughshod over common sense and a just and dignified peace. I wish you well, gentlemen. You can count on our support. (Applause)

Political group: PSE