Brussels, 31/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Wednesday 30 January, the European Parliament took stock of the worrying situation in Gaza. EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana asked firstly how the EU could best help Gaza, with the humanitarian situation rapidly deteriorating over the last few days, all crossing points having been closed and Israel having imposed a blockage. Solana said that three points had to be stressed: political development, economic development and a change in the political reality on the ground. He also suggested that the Palestinian Authority should take back charge of the border crossing points, which it no longer controls since Hamas seized power in the Gaza Strip.
Solana said that, although the EU was not on the ground at the moment, it was ready to re-deploy. Taking on the role of spokesman for the conclusions adopted by the General Affairs-External Relations Council on 28 January, he said that the EU could resume its monitoring mission at Rafah (see EURIOPE 9589). He also re-affirmed his support for Egypt, which was hosting a meeting of rival Palestinian groups to try to find a way out of the border crisis.
External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner spoke of her “cautious optimism” after the Anapolis and Paris Conferences. However, she said she was against the closure of the crossing points and supported what Solana had said. “We have to act very quickly,” she said, particularly with regard to protecting schools. She also put forward a plan to make progress on the economy and infrastructure.
José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra (EPP-ED, Spain) deplored Hamas' refusal to renounce violence, despite international pressure. He also regretted that Israel had widened Palestinian divisions. “We need a policy that makes human beings the centre of our concerns,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the PES, Belgian MEP Véronique de Keyser deplored the “surrealist” situation, speaking about Gazans breaking through the border with Egypt to buy basic goods. She highlighted the need for the EU to re-engage in dialogue with Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Israel. “Please, be quick,” she told Solana. German MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit, on behalf of the Greens/EFA, added that the drive had to be in the right direction. He called on the EU to accept its responsibilities by calling for negotiations with Hamas. Criticising the “suicidal” Israeli policy, he said that the Palestinian rockets would not cease until the blockage was lifted. “Israel must be told that the blockage is endangering its own security,” he said. He also asked the EU to call on US President George W. Bush to say nothing more on this issue. Charles Tannock (EPP-ED, UK) adopted different reasoning: “It's the ending of the rocket fire that will encourage Israel to lift the blockade”.
Chris Davies (ALDE, UK) was critical of the EU's contradictory attitude on this matter. “We funded the elections, but we didn't recognise the results. Hamas is in power in Gaza, but we refuse to speak to the leaders of that movement,” he railed. He lambasted the EU's lack of independence from the United States: “Our condemnations ring hollow!”
Francis Wurtz (GUE/NGL, France) said he feared pressing on with the wrong policy, adding that it was not the US president who would provide the impetus for peace.
David Hammerstein (Greens-EFA, Spain) wondered about the observation mission in the Gaza Strip. “How can we speak about the Rafah border mission, when it was an unarmed force?” Frieda Brepoels (EPP-ED, Belgium) regretted that EU action was restricted to handing over money. “The EU is not playing the role of an active mediator,” she said. In similar fashion, Bairbre de Brún (GUE/NGL, UK) said that the EU could not be content “to speak without taking action”.
Responding to MEPs, Solana stated that the EU could not resolve all the problems. “Rest assured that we will do all in our power,” he told MEPs.
Solana is due to visit Egypt on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 February. There he will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Abdul Gheit, and Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa.
The EP resolution on this issue will be adopted at the next plenary session in Strasbourg on 21 February. (L.B.S.)