Brussels, 17/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 17 July, MEPs called for “the immediate de-escalation of the conflict” in the Middle East “through a ceasefire agreement between the two sides” and “an immediate end to all acts of violence which threaten civilian lives”.
In adopting a joint resolution (459 votes in favour, 113 against and 60 abstentions), MEPs called for the immediate end to rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip, and for an end to the Israeli military action against Gaza. Deeply concerned about the “critical situation in the Gaza Strip and in southern Israel”, the European Parliament deplored the loss of civilian life and denounced the murders of the Israeli and Palestinian teenagers.
The Parliament also called on High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and the member states to step up diplomatic pressure in order to support the efforts to negotiate a permanent truce. The Parliament called on the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council, “to find an adequate response and solution to the current crisis”. The MEPs encouraged key regional actors - including Egypt and Jordan - to continue their efforts to calm the situation. They also called on the Israelis, Palestinians and international community - including the EU - “for serious and credible efforts (…) to resume direct peace talks (…) and to achieve concrete results in these talks”. They hailed the decision in Egypt to open the Rafah crossing point.
The Parliament also reiterated the Israelis' and Palestinians' “right to live in peace and security”. “There can be no justification for the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians, which is a war crime in international law”, it stated. The Parliament strongly supports the two-state solution. (CG)