Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-11-15-Speech-3-165"
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"en.20061115.14.3-165"2
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"Mr President, thank you for inviting me on this symbolic date, 15 November, which is Palestinian National Day, to speak on the situation in Gaza.
That is why the General Affairs and External Relation Council, which met on Monday, has welcomed the Commission’s proposal to provide additional support to the Palestinians as soon as a national unity government is formed. In order to provide this support before the end of the year, we will have to resort to the emergency aid reserve and obtain the agreement of the budget authority. The Commission will count on the support of the European Parliament.
In parallel to EU assistance, Israel should release hundreds of millions of dollars of tax and customs revenues, which it has collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and which it has withheld since March in response to the formation of the Hamas-led Government.
We should all work together so that on the occasion of next year’s Palestinian National Day, we can celebrate progress towards the creation of a democratic, viable and sovereign Palestinian State.
The escalating violence in Gaza recently culminated in the attack by the Israeli Defence Forces on Beit Hanoun on 8 November, which resulted in the death of 18 Palestinian civilians. In response, my colleague Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner made a statement saying that she was ‘profoundly shocked by this particular event’. Our thoughts now go to the Uthamina family in particular, who lost six women and eight children, killed in their sleep, and to all the innocent Palestinians and Israelis who have lost their lives in this spiral of violence.
After the attack, Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner called on all sides to stop violence and give dialogue a chance. Palestinian factions should stop firing rockets into Israeli territory. Whilst we recognise Israel’s right to self defence, this should not come at the price of innocent lives.
The Beit Hanoun attack is the latest in a series of incursions into the Gaza Strip which started on 28 June. Military operations have caused damage to vital infrastructure, especially in Gaza – including the power plant, major roads and bridges, and government buildings – and killed almost 300 Palestinians, mostly civilians. In response, the Commission has this year stepped up its assistance to meet increased emergency and humanitarian needs.
In June 2006, we launched the Temporary International Mechanism, which channels Member State and European Community Budget resources to contribute to relieve the socio-economic crisis in the Palestinian territories. This Temporary International Mechanism has supported the delivery of basic services to 1.3 million people living in the Gaza Strip and social allowances to 100 000 vulnerable Palestinians. The operation is now increasing its outreach to 150 000 cases.
The Commission, through ECHO, has allocated EUR 84 million to help vulnerable Palestinian households through the provision of food, water supply and sanitation, healthcare and social protection. The European Commission is also providing a EUR 26 million package of food aid. Food and cash subsidies are channelled through the UN Relief and Works Agency to Palestinian refugees registered as special hardship cases, while food packages are distributed to non-refugees via the UN World Food Programme.
The Commission is also a major donor to the UN Relief and Works Agency. In 2006 we provided EUR 64 million to its General Fund. It manages health, education and other social services for Palestinian refugees. In Gaza these services constitute the only element of stability in an insecure environment.
Our efforts can alleviate the humanitarian crisis for the Palestinians. However, its root cause, which is the lack of hope in a peaceful solution for Israelis and Palestinians, must be tackled urgently. There is an urgent need to return to a comprehensive peace process with a clear political perspective.
The process of reconciliation between Palestinians must be given a chance. We should encourage President Abbas to continue efforts to form a national unity government, with a platform reflecting the so-called ‘Quartet principles’ of non-violence, recognition of international agreements, recognition of Israel as a state and allowing for early engagement. This will contribute to restoring hope for a viable and independent state for the Palestinians."@en1
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