Brussels, 08/01/2009 (Agence Europe) - In a declaration published on Thursday 8 January, the Socialist Group at the European Parliament expressed its deepest outrage at the violence in the Gaza Strip, the consequences of the disproportionate use of force by the Israeli army and the military escalation that is causing many hundreds of victims, most of them civilians, including many children. It calls on Israel to fulfil its obligations under international law and international humanitarian law. It calls on Hamas to end rocket attacks and to take its own responsibilities by committing itself to a political process and calls for “an immediate and unconditional ceasefire”. The Socialist Group again emphasises that any upgrading of political relations between the EU and Israel must be strongly conditioned on respect for international humanitarian law, on real commitment to a comprehensive peace settlement, on the end of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and on full respect for full implementation of the EC-PLO interim association agreement. As long as the situation remains so critical, the Socialist Group shall maintain its negative position on the EP's vote of assent to further participation of Israel in EC programmes. The Socialist Group urgently calls for a stronger and united political role of the European Union as was the case during the Lebanon crisis of 2006 and the recent crisis between Georgia and Russia. The Socialist Group encourages the EU to seize the opportunity of cooperating with the new US administration in order to put an end to the conflict with an agreement based on the two states solution. (O.J./transl.rh)