Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-01-14-Speech-3-309"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20090114.16.3-309"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, first we need an immediate and permanent ceasefire on both sides – there is a broad consensus on this in this House. However, afterwards, we – the EU and the international community – cannot leave the fate of the people in the Gaza Strip in the hands of Hamas and Israel alone.
Hamas does not have the interests of the inhabitants of Gaza at heart, as it knew very well that Israel would respond to constant rocket attacks – and not only during election campaigns. During the last year, surveys in Gaza have shown a fall in political support for Hamas in favour of Fatah. It seems that Hamas is cynically counting on political support for Hamas increasing again with the large number of Palestinian victims, out of victim solidarity.
Israel, on the other hand, has almost exclusively the interests of its own citizens in mind, and so international criticism is directed mainly at the extent of Israel’s military operation and at the country’s acceptance of the large number of civilian casualties.
Therefore, we Europeans should not stop at negotiating a further ceasefire and financing the repair of the infrastructure. I can already see the Commissioner’s letter of amendment: I am sure the draft is already finished and ready for submission to the Committee on Budgets.
Nor is it sufficient to keep an eye on whether Egypt closes the tunnel system at the border with the Gaza Strip to arms smuggling. I call for the whole Quartet, including a strong Arab presence, to make a joint commitment to sending troops with a robust peacekeeping mandate to the Gaza Strip and the surrounding area – in the interests of the people in Gaza, Israel and Egypt. In parallel, the peace process itself must be driven forward rapidly. Otherwise, I fear that we shall see the kind of incidents we have been seeing in Gaza with ever greater frequency, and neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis deserve this."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples