29/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - S&D once again calls for Palestinian political prisoners to be released. At a conference in support of Palestinian political prisoners on 27 and 28 April, members of the S&D Group in the European Parliament called once again for these people to be released, stressing the role they may play in society. “Palestinian political prisoners must be released without delay and Israel has to fully respect her obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, also by putting an immediate end to the practice of administrative detention”, stressed Belgium's Véronique De Keyser. “The situation of more than 4,800 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails (…) must be a key issue in EU-Israel relations”, she added. Ireland's Emer Costello stressed “how important the role of prisoners and former prisoners can be in society”. She argued that a substantial release of Palestinian prisoners could be a “major step” towards a “just and lasting peace” between Israelis and Palestinians. (CG/transl.fl)