On Wednesday 22 January, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola and the group leaders forming the Conference of Presidents (CoP) adopted a declaration on the ceasefire in force in Gaza since Sunday 19 January. The CoP members welcomed the cessation of hostilities, as did the MEPs who took part in a debate on the subject on Monday 20 January (see EUROPE 13561/14).
However, they stress that the commitments made under this agreement must be fully respected. To ensure this, the Parliament group leaders are “urg[ing] all European and international actors to closely monitor the implementation of the ceasefire and hold accountable those who fail to comply”.
Welcoming the release of the first hostages, they called for the immediate release of those still held captive.
Humanitarian access to Gaza must also be guaranteed, according to the authors of the declaration.
Finally, the CoP reaffirms “the European Parliament’s commitment to a negotiated two-state solution“.
See the statement: https://aeur.eu/f/f5j (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)