European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Middle East
Date: 2005-01-27
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Israel, Middle East, Palestine, Palestine question, election, international negotiations, political cooperation, settlement of disputes

13.10.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 253 E/35

Thursday 27 January 2005

The selection of shared-cost actions will be based on calls for proposals published on the Commis-

3.
sion's Internet site in accordance with the financial provisions in force.

4.
Applications for Community support should provide, where appropriate, a financial plan listing all the
components of the funding of the projects, including the financial support requested from the Community,
and any other requests for or grants of support from other sources.

Accompanying measures will be implemented through calls for tenders in accordance with the finan-

5.
cial provisions in force.

ANNEX III

INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF EXPENDITURE

1.

Facilitating at Community level access to digital content, its use and exploitation: 40-50 %

Facilitating improvement of quality and enhancing best practice related to digital content between

2.
content providers and users, and across sectors: 45-55 %

3.

Reinforcing cooperation between digital content stakeholders and awareness: 8-12 %

P6_TA(2005)0017

Situation in the Middle East

European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Middle East

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in the Middle East and in particular that of the

23 October 2003 (1),

— having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 242, 338, 425, 1373 and 1397,

— having regard to the results of the Palestinian presidential election,

— having regard to the statement of the European Union Election Observation Mission and the statement

of the EP observers' delegation,

— having regard to the Quartet's ‘Roadmap for Peace’ of 30 April 2003,

— having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Palestinian presidential election proceeded in a satisfactory manner despite the difficult
circumstances due to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories; and whereas it represents a
crucial opportunity to renew the peace process and could serve as an example for other elections in the
region,

B.

concerned by the impact of the occupation on the elections in terms of restrictions on freedom of
movement of both candidates and voters, by the harassment and short-term arrests of some candidates
when trying to reach their potential voters in East Jerusalem and by the serious restrictions imposed on
Jerusalem residents exercising their right to vote,

(1) OJ C 82 E, 1.4.2004, p. 610.

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Official Journal of the European Union

EN

13.10.2005

Thursday 27 January 2005

C. whereas the recent terrorist attacks, intended to sabotage the negotiation efforts, have occurred precisely
at a time when there is real hope of relaunching the political process; concerned about the con-
sequences of these attacks and retaliation in terms of victims on both sides as well as further restric-
tions imposed on Palestinians,

1. Welcomes the success of the first presidential election since 1996 and notably the turnout of voters;
pays tribute to the Palestinian people and authorities for the commitment to democracy that they demon-
strated despite the occupation, especially that of Palestinian women, who helped secure the electoral oper-
ations and participated strongly in the vote;

2.
Considers that the new President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and the other candi-
dates conducted the campaign in a responsible manner under the circumstances, respecting international
standards;

3.
Urges Israel, in view of the coming Palestinian legislative elections, to fully respect the internationally
recognised right of all East Jerusalem residents to vote and to facilitate the process in a such way that the
obstacles observed in the presidential elections are lifted by the time of the legislative elections;

4. Welcomes the effectiveness of the EU observation mission and calls on the Council and the Commis-
sion to prepare another mission for the legislative elections of July 2005 with the aim of supporting
pluralism and balanced access to the media for all the candidates and finding ways, in cooperation with
the Israeli authorities, to overcome the difficulties faced by the Palestinians living in East Jerusalem;

Notes with concern the resignation of a significant number of members of the Palestinian Central
5.
Electoral Commission in protest at the political pressure exerted on election day for the extension of voting
time;

Invites the new Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority to recognise the window of oppor-
6.
tunity offered by the results of the elections and to relaunch negotiations; calls on the EU to take an urgent
initiative, in the framework of the Quartet, and especially vis-à-vis the USA, in accordance with their com-
plementary roles in the peace process, in order to open a new phase of strong mutual cooperation by
jointly relaunching their efforts to bring peace to the region;

7.
Calls on the Council, the High Representative for the CFSP and the Commission to fully play their role
in the process, to continue assistance to the Palestinian Authority and people and to develop dialogue with
Israel, in the framework of the Barcelona Process and the European Neighbourhood Policy, in accordance
with the Action Plans already adopted by the Council;

8.
Strongly encourages President Abbas to act upon his willingness to end violence and welcomes the
measures taken by President Abbas, as well as his willingness to reform and to reinforce control over the
Palestinian security corps and to fully engage in dialogue with all concerned parties; believes that full pol-
itical support by the USA and the EU, and active cooperation from the Israelis, are essential in order to
achieve these goals;

Calls on the Palestinian Authority to recognise the Palestinian people's commitment to democracy and
9.
to promote the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, better separation of powers between the
legislative and executive arms of government, good governance, including transparent accounting, and the
fight against corruption;

10.
Declares once again, at this particular time, that the solution to the Middle East conflict is only
possible through the negotiation of a firm and final peace agreement as set out in the Roadmap, which is
still valid, without prior conditions, based on the existence of two democratic, sovereign and viable states,
living peacefully side by side within secure and recognised borders;

11.
Believes that a lasting peace can only be sustained with a genuine bottom-up approach involving the
civil societies of both sides striving for dialogue; calls, in this regard, on the Quartet to make full use of the
Geneva Accord as a complement to the Road Map and to facilitate the continuation of the negotiations
between these civil societies within this framework;

13.10.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 253 E/37

Thursday 27 January 2005

12.
Condemns all terrorist attacks and any acts of violence from both sides; demands that the armed
Palestinian groups refrain from any attacks and reminds them that any form of terror and violence not only
causes loss of innocent lives but is also detrimental to the peace process and to the conditions of the civilian
population; asks the Israeli Government to refrain from retaliation and put an end to extrajudicial killings;

13.
Calls on the Israeli Government, as a credible first step in the implementation of the Roadmap and
the resolutions of the UN Security Council on the path to a lasting peace, to implement the withdrawal
from Gaza and other parts of the Occupied Territories, by involving and negotiating with Egypt, the first
neighbour to approve this project, as well as the Palestinian authorities under the verification of an inter-
national observer mission; calls on the Council to find ways to provide the necessary assistance;

14.
Reiterates its call to the Israeli Government to stop the expansion of settlements, notably in the
Jerusalem area, to halt the construction of the wall, and to comply fully with the Fourth Geneva Conven-
tion, and thus end the violation of international law;

15.
Confirms the EU's support for the peace process and puts forward a proposal for an an economic
development plan which should be monitored by the Union, in order to give the region a solid basis for
prosperity and stability;

16.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Palestinian
Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Israeli Government and Knesset, the US Government,
the Government of Russian Federation and the UN Secretary-General.

P6_TA(2005)0018

The Holocaust, anti-Semitism and racism

European Parliament resolution on remembrance of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and racism

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Articles 2, 6, 7 and 29 of the Treaty on European Union and Article 13 of the EC
Treaty, which commit the Member States to upholding the highest standards of human rights and non-
discrimination, and to the European Charter of Fundamental Rights,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism of 27 October
1994 (1), 27 April 1995 (2), 26 October 1995 (3), 30 January 1997 (4) and 16 March 2000 (5), to the
report of its Committee of Inquiry into Racism and Xenophobia of 1990 and its Written Declaration
of 7 July 2000 on remembrance of the Holocaust (6),

— having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1035/97 of 2 June 1997 establishing a European Moni-
toring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (7) (EUMC) and to the EUMC's various reports on racism in
the EU, including ‘Manifestations of Anti-Semitism in the EU 2002-2003’ and ‘Perceptions of Anti-
Semitism in the European Union’, both published in March 2004,

— having regard to the Berlin Declaration of the second OSCE Conference on Anti-Semitism, held in
Berlin on 28/29 April 2004, and to the recent appointment by the OSCE of the Personal Represen-
tative on Combating Anti-Semitism,

— having regard to the Declaration of the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust held on

26 to 28 January 2000, which called for increased education on the Holocaust,

(1) OJ C 323, 21.11.1994, p. 154.
(2) OJ C 126, 22.5.1995, p. 75.
(3) OJ C 308, 20.11.1995, p. 140.
(4) OJ C 55, 24.2.1997, p. 17.
(5) OJ C 377, 29.12.2000, p. 366.
(6) OJ C 121, 24.4.2001, p. 503.
(7) OJ L 151, 10.6.1997, p. 1.