European Parliament resolution of 14 December 2022 on the prospects of the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine (2022/2949(RSP))
Date: 2022-12-14
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Israel, Palestine, democracy, establishment of peace, national sovereignty, recognition of a state, territorial law, terrorism, the EU's international role, war








C_2023177EN.01007301.xml










17.5.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 177/73






P9_TA(2022)0443
Prospects for the two-State solution for Israel and Palestine
European Parliament resolution of 14 December 2022 on the prospects of the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine (2022/2949(RSP))
(2023/C 177/08)

The European Parliament,






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having regard to its previous resolutions on the Middle East Peace Process, in particular its resolution of 18 May 2017 on achieving the two-state solution in the Middle East (1),










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having regard to the Council conclusions of 18 January 2016 and of 20 June 2016 on the Middle East peace process,










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having regard to the EU-Israel Association Council which took place on 3 October 2022 and its conclusions,










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having regard to the European Union’s 2021 report on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,










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having regard to the EU terrorist list,










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having regard to the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council,










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having regard to the Geneva Conventions of 1949,










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having regard to the Oslo Accords of 1993 and 1995,










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having regard to the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002,










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having regard to Rule 132(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,










A.


whereas the EU has repeatedly confirmed its support for the two-state solution, with two sovereign, democratic states living side by side in peace and guaranteed security, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states;










B.


whereas the UN Security Council has adopted multiple resolutions on the issue, including Resolution 2334 (2016); whereas the EU-27 made reference to these resolutions and the need for them to be respected in its statement following the latest meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council;










C.


whereas, according to the 2021 report by the Office of the European Union Representative, last year saw a further increased rate of advancement of settlement units in the occupied Palestinian Territories (22 030), in particular in East Jerusalem where the number of new housing units more than doubled compared to 2020 (from 6 288 to 14 894), as part of the trend of continuous Israeli settlement expansion;










D.


whereas violence, terrorism, including attacks against civilians, and incitement to violence are being exacerbated by provocative measures and inflammatory rhetoric and are fundamentally incompatible with a peaceful resolution to the conflict; whereas the Union expresses its condolences to the families of all victims;










E.


whereas Israelis and Palestinians alike have the right to live in security; whereas this includes the right to protect their territory and defend their legitimate security interests;










F.


whereas the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has exacerbated the fragilities and geopolitical tensions in the region, and food insecurity is increasing drastically;










G.


whereas, on 11 May 2022, journalist Shireen Abu Aqla was killed during an Israeli military raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank; whereas, despite numerous calls to do so, no independent investigation into her killing has been conducted, so the perpetrators of this criminal act have not been held to account;










H.


whereas the Court of Justice adopted a ruling on 12 November 2019 on the EU’s policy of differentiation in trade stemming from the territory of the state of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories (2); whereas the EU needs to apply this ruling accordingly;










I.


whereas Israel is a democratic state, which held its last legislative elections on 1 November 2022; whereas the last Palestinian parliamentary elections were held in 2006, which resulted in a victory for the EU-listed terror organisation Hamas in Gaza; whereas the last Palestinian presidential elections were held in January 2005;










J.


whereas the Gaza Strip has been under blockade for 15 years, entrapping two million inhabitants in a 40-by-11 square kilometre area; whereas according to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 53 % of Gazans live below the poverty line;










K.


whereas the international community has continuously called for the repatriation of the remains of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul to Israel as they are being held in violation of international humanitarian law in Gaza and whereas the international community has expressed unanimous solidarity with the Goldin and Shaul families;










L.


whereas Israeli authorities have demolished key infrastructure funded by international donors to provide basic services; whereas several EU- or Member State-funded structures currently have stop-work or demolition orders;










M.


whereas, in October 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defence issued a military order which designated six Palestinian non-governmental organisations as ‘unlawful associations’ (terrorist organisations); whereas in August 2022, the offices of these organisations were raided, documents were confiscated and equipment was destroyed by Israeli forces;










N.


whereas civil society in the region, and more specifically in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, has a key role to play in building bridges in society and promoting an atmosphere of peace, tolerance and non-violence;






General principles










1.


Reiterates its unwavering support for a negotiated two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 lines with two sovereign, democratic states living side by side in peace and guaranteed security, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, and in full respect of international law;












2.


Calls for an end to the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the occupation of Palestinian territories through the resumption of genuine peace talks between both sides on the basis of the established parameters for the two-state solution, with the support of the international community, leading to a negotiated final status agreement and mutual recognition;












3.


Urges both parties to restate their commitment to the two-state solution; asks the next Israeli Government to make a clear commitment in favour of the two-state solution; calls on the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships to refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric, and unilateral decisions;












4.


Deplores the lack of tangible results in the Middle East peace process in the past decades, which has resulted in continued violence and terrorism, a constantly deteriorating situation on the ground in the occupied Palestinian territories, increasing frustration in Palestinian society, growing tensions and insecurity in Israel, and the instrumentalisation of the conflict by terrorist and extremist groups;






Obstacles to the two-state solution










5.


Recalls that settlements are illegal under international law, calls for an immediate end to their construction and stresses that the recent decisions to establish new settlements further undermine prospects for a viable two-state solution, particularly in E1 area and the West Bank; condemns settler violence and calls for accountability;












6.


Asks Israel to comply with its responsibilities and obligations as an occupying power under international law, and respect the human rights of Palestinians;












7.


Strongly condemns continued terrorism against Israel and recalls Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself; fully recognises Israel’s legitimate security concerns and the challenges it faces; reiterates Israel’s full right to fight against acts of violence and its right to protect its civilian population;












8.


Condemns and calls for an immediate end to all acts of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, including the disproportionate use of force in military operations by the Israeli Defence Forces, terrorist attacks against innocent civilians and targeting civilian infrastructures, mounting settler violence, and the indiscriminate attacks including rocket attacks carried out by Palestinian EU-listed terrorist organisations including Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine;












9.


Stresses the imperative need for the EU to work in partnership with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the United States and Arab partners in the region with a view to preventing the re-arming of terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and their smuggling of weapons, manufacturing of rockets and building of tunnels; stresses once more the overwhelming need for all terrorist groups in Gaza to disarm, in line with previous Foreign Affairs Council conclusions; condemns the unacceptable activities by the de facto authorities in Gaza and in this context reiterates the need for the Palestinian Authority to take charge of the Gaza Strip;












10.


Calls for the perpetrators of these acts of violence to be held accountable, in line with international law; recalls that compliance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law by states and non-state actors, including accountability for their actions, is a cornerstone of peace and security;












11.


Reaffirms its commitment to the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, including, most recently, Resolution 2334 (2016), and stresses to respect them, as reiterated by the EU-27 in its statement following the latest meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council;












12.


Stresses that democracy in Palestine should be supported further, and calls on the international community to redouble its efforts to strengthen its institutions with a view to achieving intra-Palestinian unity, as an important element for reaching the two-state solution; urges Palestinian forces to resume efforts towards reconciliation without delay, in particular by holding long-overdue presidential and legislative elections;












13.


Calls for transparent, credible and inclusive elections to be held in Palestine; expresses grave concern about people affiliated with EU-listed terrorist organisations running or seeking to run for Palestinian political office; calls on Israel to allow these elections to take place in East Jerusalem; insists again that the EU and Parliament must be able to observe these elections, upon invitation;












14.


Condemns the systematic efforts of the Palestinian Authority and the de facto authorities in Gaza to muzzle dissent, including by arbitrarily arresting critics and opponents, who are often then subjected to torture or other ill-treatment, and restricting freedom of expression, association and assembly;












15.


Urges Israel to cease its widespread practice of administrative detentions of Palestinians, including minors, without trial, and calls for the right to due process to be respected; condemns the use of minors as suicide bombers by Palestinian militant groups;












16.


Highlights that the Palestinian people have the right to use their own natural resources, including water resources, energy resources and agricultural lands on their own territory;












17.


Offers its condolences to the families of Israeli soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul; deplores the refusal of Hamas to return their remains to Israel for burial; calls for all efforts to be made for the immediate repatriation of their remains; calls, furthermore, for the immediate release of Israeli citizens Avraham Mengistu and Hisham Al-Sayed, who have not committed any crime or offence that justifies their captivity by Hamas in the Gaza Strip;












18.


Calls on the state of Israel to allow humanitarian aid to reach the most vulnerable, both in the West Bank and Gaza; reiterates its calls for an immediate end to the blockade and for the easing of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, while taking the necessary security guarantees to prevent violence against Israel; reiterates the need for EU funding to go to specific projects in Gaza, in line with the trilateral mechanism for financial support for civilians; calls for unhindered access for Members of the European Parliament to the Gaza Strip;












19.


Calls for an immediate end to the demolition of Palestinian homes; calls for the EU and its Member States to demand compensation for the demolition of all EU-funded infrastructure in the occupied Palestinian territories;












20.


Is concerned about the shrinking space for civil society in Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories, and urges the EU to put this issue high on the agenda of its political dialogue with the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority;






The role of the European Union










21.


Calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process (EUSR) to set up a European peace initiative in order to restore a political horizon for fair, comprehensive, long-lasting peace between Israel and Palestine; calls, to this end, for the mandate of the EUSR to be extended until the effective resolution of this long-lasting conflict;












22.


Calls for this initiative to take the form of an international conference, as a first step in a multilateral framework aimed at achieving this objective; welcomes initiatives such as the Munich Format and encourages the European External Action Service and the Member States to take a European initiative to put the two-state solution back on track;












23.


Calls for the EU to explore with the Arab countries concerned how their respective normalisation agreements with Israel could be conducive to the two-state solution and the economic development of the region;












24.


Calls on the EU and its Member States to support all initiatives to uphold accountability for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law; underlines in this regard the work of the International Criminal Court;












25.


Welcomes the decision of the Foreign Affairs Council to relaunch the Association Council with Israel; believes it should strengthen the EU-Israel partnership, discuss issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and aim at reviving the Middle East peace process;












26.


Considers EU funding for civil society to be constructive engagement towards building bridges between Israelis and Palestinians; calls for EU programmes to enhance people-to-people contacts between different ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders, journalists and women’s organisations;












27.


Underlines the need for the EU and its Member States to support joint initiatives in the social and economic sectors, including in water and energy, to promote prosperity and social exchange between the two territories; reiterates its support for the Global Gateway strategy, which, in synergy with the economic and investment plan for the Southern Neighbourhood, will develop trade links in the region;












28.


Recognises the role performed by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in providing Palestinian refugees with vital services; reiterates the importance of education in the building of prospects for a two-state solution; reiterates that hatred, incitement to violence and antisemitism conflict with EU values and are a key impediment to the resolution of the conflict; reiterates its position that all schoolbooks and school materials supported by Union funds must be in line with UNESCO standards of peace, tolerance, coexistence and non-violence; underlines that EU funding will have to be suspended if clear and substantiated evidence of misuse is presented;












29.


Recalls that all education curricula funded by the EU must be in line with UNESCO standards of peace, tolerance, co-existence and non-violence and strongly condemns the hate speech, violence and antisemitism that continue to be found on Palestinian Authority education curricula;




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30.


Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, the Knesset and the Government of Israel, the President of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council.






(1)  OJ C 307, 30.8.2018, p. 113.

(2)  Judgment of 12 November 2019, Organisation juive européenne and Vignoble Psagot Ltd v Ministre de l’Économie et des Finances, C-363/18, ECLI:EU:C:2019:954.