European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip
Date: 2006-11-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Israel, Palestine question, human rights, military intervention, settlement of disputes, violence

C 314 E/324

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

21.12.2006

Thursday 16 November 2006

TEXTS ADOPTED

P6_TA(2006)0491

EC-Mauritania fisheries agreement

European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council regulation on the conclu-
sion of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic
Republic of Mauritania (COM(2006)0506 — C6-0334/2006 — 2006/0168(CNS))

(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the proposal for a Council regulation (COM(2006)0506) (1),

— having regard to the draft Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the

Islamic Republic of Mauritania,

— having regard to Articles 37 and 300(2) of the EC Treaty,

— having regard to Article 300(3), first subparagraph, of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Council

consulted Parliament (C6-0334/2006),

— having regard to Rules 51, 83(7) and Article 134 of its Rules of Procedure,

1.

Approves conclusion of the agreement;

Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission, and the governments

2.
and parliaments of the Member States and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

(1) Not yet published in OJ.

P6_TA(2006)0492

The situation in Gaza

European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the Middle East, in particular those of 2 February 2006 on
the result of the Palestinian elections and the situation in East Jerusalem (1), 1 June 2006 on the huma-
nitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories and the role of the EU (2) and 7 September 2006 on the
situation in the Middle East (3),

— having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973),

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

— having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 15 September

2006, 16 and 17 October 2006 and 13 November 2006,

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

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0041.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0237.
(3) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0348.

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Thursday 16 November 2006

A. whereas the Israeli military operation in The Gaza Strip has resulted in over 350 deaths, including many
civilians, since June 2006 and whereas the Israeli attack in Beit Hanun on 8 November 2006 resulted in
the death of 19 Palestinians, mostly children and women,

B.

extremely concerned about the fact that, as a result of the massive devastation of public facilities and
private homes, the disruption of hospitals, clinics and schools, the denial of access to water, food and
electricity, the destruction of agricultural lands and the total blockade on the Gaza Strip, the humani-
tarian crisis has reached a catastrophic level,

C. whereas attacks targeted directly at civilian assets and disproportionate or indiscriminate attacks on the
civilian population represent a flagrant breach of fundamental rights as laid down by international law
and the Geneva Conventions,

D. whereas Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed his distress and voiced sorrow for what he said
was the result of a ‘technical failure’ at Beit Hanun on 8 November 2006 and the Israeli Army has
decided to initiate an internal investigation,

E. whereas the right of a state to defend itself cannot justify any disproportionate or indiscriminate use of

force, and international humanitarian law strictly prohibits attacks on civilians,

F. whereas the new cycle of violence is threatening the efforts made by the Palestinian National Authority

to form a new Palestinian government of national unity,

G. whereas the international community and the European Union are providing considerable support for
efforts to solve the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with special regard to the
Temporary International Mechanism (TIM); whereas, however, this assistance cannot meet all needs,

H. deeply concerned at the implications of the recent appointment of Avigdor Lieberman as Deputy Prime

Minister of Israel,

I. whereas the Middle East peace process is in political and diplomatic deadlock, although a comprehen-
sive and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essential to the establishment of peace and
security in the whole region,

J. whereas the European Union, as a member of the Quartet (which also comprises the United Nations,
the United States of America and Russia), has a special responsibility for peace and security in the
Middle East, which is in Europe's neighbourhood, and whereas the instruments and methods for the
coordination of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) must therefore be improved, inter alia
through the adoption of a common position in the framework of the CFSP on the basis of Articles 15
and 16 of the Treaty on European Union,

Expresses its deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims of the recent bombing

1.
in Beit Hanun and to all other innocent casualties;

2.
Expresses its deep indignation at the Israeli military operation carried out in Beit Hanun and in the
Gaza Strip, and condemns the Israeli army's use of disproportionate action, which is undermining attempts
to initiate the peace process;

Calls on the Israeli government to halt its military operations in the Gaza Strip immediately, and

3.
reaffirms that there is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;

4.
Calls on the Palestinian militias to bring to an end the firing of rockets into Israeli territory, which is
indiscriminate and deliberately targets civilians, to respect the truce and to refrain from further escalating
the conflict; condemns the recent rocket attack in Sderot and the killing of innocent Israeli civilians;

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Official Journal of the European Union

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21.12.2006

Thursday 16 November 2006

5.
Expresses its deep concern about the possible grave consequences of the current crisis,
further military and terrorist attacks, undermining the fragile political situation in the region as a whole;

including

Notes the blocking in the UN Security Council of a draft resolution on the situation in the Gaza Strip
6.
by a US veto, and regrets the lack of a strong and clear stance by the international community on the
current crisis;

Calls on the US Government to reassess its role in the Quartet and in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,

7.
with a view to supporting an end to the violence and a new and genuine dialogue between the parties;

8.
Calls on the Council and the Member States to adopt a common position pursuant to Article 15 of the
Treaty on European Union, in order to make an appropriate assessment of the current situation and to
promote a serious attempt to halt the violence and bring the parties concerned to the negotiating table;

9.
Invites the Quartet to act urgently for the resumption of negotiations with and between the parties
concerned and for the full implementation of all parts of the Roadmap; declares once again, at this particu-
lar stage, that a solution to the Middle East conflict will only be possible through the negotiation of a firm
and final peace agreement as set out in the Roadmap, without prior conditions, based on the existence of
two democratic, sovereign and viable states,
living peacefully side by side within secure and recognised
international borders, and that the continuing loss of civilian lives is intolerable;

Reiterates its suggestion that the presence of a multinational force in Lebanon could be taken as an
10.
exemplary model to be followed in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, in order to protect the civilian
population on both sides; invites the Council, in the meantime, to launch an initiative to dispatch interna-
tional military observers to the Gaza Strip, and calls on all parties to endorse and fully cooperate with such
a proposal;

Calls on the Council urgently to convene the EU-Israel Association Council in order to express the
in

11.
position of the European Union after the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, with regard,
particular, to full compliance with Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement (1);

12.
Calls on the Council to address itself, within the framework of the EU-Palestinian Interim Association
Agreement (2), to the new Palestinian government of national unity in order to confront the issue of vio-
lence and security;

Stresses that human rights must be fully respected and that the violation of international humanitar-

13.
ian law must be halted immediately in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank;

14.
Supports the EU Presidency's statement urging the Israeli government to cease all provocative activ-
ities in the Palestinian territories, including building settlements, constructing the separation wall, conduct-
ing indiscriminate military operations and demolishing Palestinian homes;

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to supply extra medical aid to Palestinian hospitals,

15.
in particular in the Gaza Strip;

16. Welcomes the agreement reached by the President of the Palestinian Authority to promote a national
dialogue between the Palestinian political parties and the appointment of a new Palestinian Prime Minister
to form a new Palestinian government, which should act as a negotiating partner for the international
community; considers that this could lead to the restoration of economic aid to the Palestinian Authority;

(1) OJ L 147, 21.6.2000, p. 3.
(2) OJ L 187, 16.7.1997, p. 1.

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Thursday 16 November 2006

17.
Calls on the Council and the Commission to continue to guarantee, together with the international
community, essential humanitarian aid for the Palestinian population; demands that the TIM be reinforced
and extended in terms of duration and resources; calls on the Israeli government urgently to resume the
transfer of withheld Palestinian tax and customs revenues;

18.
Calls on Israel to lift its economic blockade of the Gaza Strip, to facilitate trade between the Palesti-
nian territories, Israel and the world as a whole, to promote economic development in the Gaza Strip for
the benefit of both Palestinians and Israelis, and to permit the movement of people at Rafah, in compliance
with the Agreement on Movement and Access and the EU Border Assistance Mission, as well as at Karni
and at other border crossings in the Gaza Strip; calls on the EU to face its full responsibility on the imple-
mentation of this agreement;

Reiterates its call for the immediate release of the Palestinian ministers and legislators in Israeli

19.
custody and of the abducted Israeli soldier;

Calls on the Council to make every effort to convene an international peace conference — along the
20.
lines of the 1991 Madrid Conference — in order to find a comprehensive, lasting and viable solution to the
problems in the area, based on the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and considers that a unilateral
approach by any of the parties concerned must be rejected;

21.
Considers the involvement of the League of Arab States to be essential in this context; considers the
League's 2002 ‘Beirut Plan’, as well as the 2003 Geneva Initiative, to be important contributions to the
negotiations, which should be duly taken into account;

22.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Represen-
tative for the CFSP, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, the
President of the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Israeli Government and Knes-
set, the governments and parliaments of the United States and the Russian Federation, and the Secretary-
General of the League of Arab States.

P6_TA(2006)0493

Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

European Parliament resolution on the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin
Weapons (BTWC), cluster bombs and conventional arms

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Third Review Conference on the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional

Weapons (CCW), taking place in Geneva from 7 to 17 November 2006,

— having regard to the Sixth Review Conference on the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

(BTWC) to be held in Geneva from 20 November to 8 December 2006,

— having regard to Council Joint Action 2006/184/CFSP of 27 February 2006 in support of the Biologi-
cal and Toxin Weapons Convention, in the framework of the EU Strategy against the Proliferation of
Weapons of Mass Destruction (1), the objectives of which are to promote the universality of the BTWC
and support its implementation by State Parties in order to ensure that State Parties transpose the
international obligations of the BTWC into their national legislation and administrative measures,

— having regard to the EU Action Plan in respect of the BTWC, which was agreed in parallel with the
Joint Action and in which Member States undertook to submit confidence-building measures returns to
the United Nations and lists of relevant experts and laboratories to the United Nations Secretary-Gen-
eral to facilitate any investigation into alleged chemical and biological weapons use,

(1) OJ L 65, 7.3.2006, p. 51.