WRITTEN QUESTION E-3256/01

by André Brie (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(23 November 2001)

Subject: Fate of kidnapped Israeli soldiers

More than a year ago, on 7 October 2000, three Israeli soldiers were forcibly abducted by the Hizbullah operating out of Lebanese territory and there are growing fears that they may no longer be alive; can the Council indicate:

- what information is has on this matter and what efforts it has made to obtain such information?

- what action it has since taken at diplomatic level to try to find a humanitarian solution to this problem?

- how it has reacted, or intends to react, to the resolution adopted by the Knesset on 15 October 2001 urging all governments, parliaments and international and civilian organisations to do all they can to secure the immediate release of the three Israeli soldiers?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-3052/01 and E-3256/01

(18 March 2002)

The European Union remains deeply concerned by the practice of hostage-taking in the Middle East. According to the Council's information, on 7 October 2000 Hezbollah abducted three Israeli soldiers in the border area between Israel and Lebanon and, at around the same time, an Israeli businessman residing in Europe, with the objective of securing the release of Lebanese nationals and Palestinians held by Israel. Recently, Israel officially declared the three soldiers dead. Since then the Israeli government and the families of the abducted persons have been calling for the bodies to be returned.

These cases have been raised by the EU representatives, notably the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Mr Javier Solana, and the EU Special Representative for the Middle East peace process, Mr Moratinos, with representatives of the governments of Middle-Eastern countries. They will continue to use their regular contacts with these countries to pursue these efforts, in particular with regard to the return of the bodies. The EU does not have direct contact with Hezbollah.

On 11 December 2001 Mr Solana received the families of the abducted persons and undertook to do everything in his power to find a humanitarian solution at an early date.

For its part, Israel has been detaining Lebanese citizens since 1986 (administrative detention) a practice strongly criticised by the EU and declared illegal by the Israeli Supreme Court. Israel released ten persons in May 2000 but, according to Amnesty International, is still holding twelve Lebanese nationals. The EU continues to protest strongly against this practice. At the second meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council (20 November 2001), the EU declaration referred to it in the following terms: The Union reiterates its strongly held opinion that extra-judicial killings and other violations, such as administrative detention and collective punishment, including the increasing recourse to house demolitions, are unacceptable and contrary to the rule of law. The EU calls on the Government of Israel to cease these practices.

At the Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the 4th Geneva Convention on 5 December 2001, the Union reaffirmed the universality of the Convention and emphasised that there can be no ambiguity about the fact that international humanitarian law must be respected by all the parties involved in an armed conflict.