Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, as you know, the situation in occupied Palestine is a disaster. The number of people living in poverty has tripled. The Palestinian people are starving, when they are not being killed by Israeli bullets. The social and economic crisis is worsening in Israel too, and even the most vulnerable communities are not spared. The situation in Iraq is a further factor for destabilisation in the region. The European Council of 16 and 17 October confirmed that the Mediterranean region was of crucial importance. We should also support the democratic process, assist social and economic development and strengthen political dialogue to ensure that the region is finally able to enjoy peace. As Mr Menéndez del Valle states in his report, there can be no military solution. We must break free of this downward spiral of violence and get back on the track of negotiations and of ensuring that the law is observed. We must force Israel to end this process of establishing settlements and this military occupation, which lie at the root of this appalling situation. It is equally crucial to exert all possible pressure, including economic and trade pressure, not only to stop the construction of this apartheid-style wall, but also to destroy it. This wall is a human and environmental disaster, and is also an affront to the values that we hold dear. These actions run counter to the commitments given in the road map. It is our duty to encourage all peace initiatives and in this area, we should attach particular importance to the peace plan known as the ‘Swiss agreement’. We believe that this is a moderate and balanced plan, even if many, who are being asked to make further compromises, find it hard to accept. Although it provides no real answer to the refugee question, this agreement is needed, in order to restore confidence and to give new hope to the two peoples. As we have often said, only the existence of two democratic, sovereign and viable States, as recognised in the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital, will allow the justice and dignity crucial to peace to be established and provide for a future that offers real possibilities. This agreement allows the legitimacy of international law to be re-established. We must do everything we can to ensure that this is supported by the Quartet, particularly by the Europeans. I would like to express my fear to you, my fear of seeing a new hope dashed, leaving the way open for an even more radical approach, which would only benefit those who prefer violence to the law and war to peace. We have a major political responsibility: we must assume this responsibility in the eyes of history and in the eyes of the world and we must break this silence, which would make us just as guilty for this new crime against humanity. Lastly, I wish to pay tribute to the courage of the progressive forces in Israel and of all those who refuse to carry out missions that they consider to be illegal and which cause civilian deaths. We must offer them our utmost solidarity. To conclude, we must emphasise civilian missions, in which international organisations play the role of moderator and protector: as a result of their action on the ground, they successfully conduct a citizens’ diplomacy, where our international diplomacy is unable to act. We must ask the Commission and the Council to ask the UN Security Council to send a peacekeeping force to protect the Palestinian people, their heritage and their environment.

Political group: Verts-ALE