Brussels, 20/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - A cross-party delegation of 14 MEPs will be travelling to Palestine from 27 October to 1 November, on the initiative of Luisa Morgantini (GUE, Italy), who wants to witness the constant deterioration of the situation on the ground in order to call for the EU to react firmly. She explained at a press conference on Thursday that the MEPs may demand suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
At the press conference, Luisa Morgantini was accompanied by Raji Sourani, President of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, and Olivier de Schutter, General Secretary of FIDH (the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues). She slammed Israel's 'stranglehold' on Palestine by Israel in Gaza in particular, saying that Israel could not ignore disapproval from Europe and the EU could not remain a passive bystander and simply contribute to a roadmap whose substance was belied by what happened on the ground. Rafi Sourani also criticised EU and international reaction since the recent elections (suspension of aid). He said that the Palestinians had been punished for playing the democratic game, which had led to the emergence of Hamas. Olivier de Schutter also condemned the EU's attitude vis-à-vis the Palestinian Authority and presented a report made after a recent trip to the Occupied Territories in July 2006 focussing on the impact of the 'economic stranglehold'. One of the report's conclusions is that the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) for aid established by the international community does not appear to be respecting the required conditions given the urgency of the situation on the ground. FIDH openly criticises Israel's refusal to meet the obligations that accompany its status as an occupying power, thereby creating a failing state in Palestine where extremist groups, including terrorists, were able to prosper and therefore endangering the civilian population in Israel even more. FIDH also criticises the EU for suspending its direct financial aid, arguing that the EU's attitude is governed more by ideology than by pragmatic appreciation of the situation. (fb)