Brussels, 08/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - Given the new tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the weekend, the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs on Tuesday called upon Israel and the Palestinian Authority to continue with the implementation of the Quartet's road map for the Middle East. By adopting, by a large majority, the resolution contained within the own-initiative report by Spanish Socialist Emilio Menendez Del Valle (40 for, 4 against, 4 abstentions), the committee is recommending, should the road map fail, establishing an international mandate for Palestine under the authority of the Quartet, and the deployment of an international force, under the aegis of the United Nations and with the agreement of both parties. The report will be on the agenda of the plenary session in Strasbourg from 20 to 23 October.
Criticising Palestinian terrorism and Israeli military repression, and describing itself as "in solidarity with all victims of violence", the committee expects immediate actions form both sides to end the spiralling violence in the Middle East. The Palestinian Authority should "clearly and firmly" support the new Palestinian government, which itself should: - re-organise Palestinian security forces; - re-establish public order; - make "visible and concrete" efforts to break up terrorist organisations; - hold free and transparent elections as soon as possible. The Hebrew State, for its part, should: - withdraw its troops from autonomous Palestinian territory; - end targeted assassinations; freeze implants of colonies and the construction of a "security enclosure"; - lift the blockage on Palestinian territories and withdraw to the pre-2000 borders. MEPs are opposed to any action to deport, banish or otherwise remove Yasser Arafat, the President of the Palestinian Authority, "pointed out that he has been democratically elected".
The parliamentary committee feels that a new peace Treaty should include a precise demarcation of boundaries of the two States on the basis of United Nations resolution 242. Jerusalem should be the capital of both States with an indivisible international status, whereby the Israeli authorities would govern the zones which were originally majority Jewish, and the Palestinians would govern the majority Palestinian areas. The right of Palestinian refugees to return would be restricted to the territories of the Palestinian States. MEPs call upon the Arab States in question, especially the Lebanon, to allow refugees who so wish to take on the nationality of the country in which they have found refuge. Lastly, once a firm peace Treaty has been signed, the EU should establish a partnership with Israel and the Palestinian Authority including a single market, alignment of legislation and use of the euro.