Israeli military operation against the humanitarian flotilla and the Gaza blockade

Tabled by Eva Joly, Nicole Kiil-Nielsen, Hélène Flautre, Margrete Auken, Malika Benarab-Attou, Reinhard Bütikofer, Ulrike Lunacek, Jan-Philip Albrecht, Jill Evans, Isabelle Durant, Raül Romeva, Yannick Jadot, Jean Lambert, Bart Staes, Heidi Hautala, Rebecca Harms and Dany Cohn-Bendit

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

The European Parliament,

• Having regard to the previous resolutions on Gaza in particular those of 15 January 2009 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and of 18 February 2009 on humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,
• Having regard to the Resolution 1860 adopted by the UN Security Council on 8 January 2009,
• Having regards to the Declaration by HR/VP Catherine Ashton on behalf of the EU on the Israeli military operation against the flotilla of 31 May 2010,
• Having regard to the Presidential Statement of the UN Security Statement (S/9940) of 31 May 2010,
• Having regard to the Resolution adopted by the UNHRC on the Grave Attacks by Israeli Forces against the humanitarian boat convoy of 2 June 2010,
• Having regard to the Remarks by Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, at the EU-Russia Summit on the Israeli military operation against the Flotilla of 1 June 2010,
• Having regard to the Council Conclusions on Gaza of 14 June 2010,
• Having regards to the Resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the WHO on 18 May 2010,
• Having regard to the report by the World Food Programme and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) published in November 2009 on the situation in Gaza
• Having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

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A. whereas Israel's military operation, in international waters, on 31 May 2010 against a flotilla of humanitarian aid bound for Gaza resulted in the deaths of nine civilians and the wounding of 38 civilians and seven Israeli soldiers,

B. whereas the border crossings in and out of Gaza have been closed since June 2007 and the embargo on the movement of people and goods has increased poverty, paralysed reconstruction and decimated the economy in the Strip, creating a rampant black market controlled by Hamas, among others; whereas this blockade has not resulted in the release of Gilad Shalit as expected by the Israeli authorities and which has been repeatedly called for by the EP;whereas this blockade has not achieved its aim of undermining extremists but has, moreover, given rise to growing radicalisation

C. whereas according to the previous statements by the UN and the Statement of the UN Security Statement (S/9940) of 31 May 2010 the embargo on the Gaza Strip represents collective punishment in contravention of international humanitarian law,

D. whereas 80% of the Gazan population is dependent on food aid, more than 60% are hit by food insecurity, unemployment is around 50% and sanitary and environmental conditions have seriously deteriorated,

E. whereas only about 3,600 truckloads of food aid entered Gaza in the first three months of this year, as compared to 36,000 during the first three months of 2007 and whereas only 81 products are allowed into Gaza while UNRWA estimates at 6,000 the minimum number of products required to meet basic humanitarian needs,

F. whereas the Palestinian Territories are the largest third-country recipient of EU funds and this support has played an important role in the attempt to assuage the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip; whereas the EU continues to provide essential humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip, including through the United Nations Reliefs and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA),

G. whereas the two-state solution remains the basis for lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians and therefore any step that undermines this perspective should be avoided; whereas ongoing proximity talks may lead to the resumption of direct peace negotiations with a view to establishing a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the State of Israel;

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1. Extends its condolences to the families of the victims namely,?brahim Bilgen, Ali Haydar Bengi, Cevdet K?l?çlar), Çetin Topçuo?lu, Necdet Y?ld?r?m, Furkan Do?an, Fahri Yald?z, Cengiz Songür and Cengiz Akyüz;
2. Condemns Israel's military operation against the humanitarian ship convoy; deeply regrets this breach of international law especially the fourth Geneva Convention, and condemns the use of disproportionate violence against civilians;
3. Supports the statement of the UN Secretary General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights calling for a prompt international and independent inquiry into this attack, and insists that the principles of accountability and liability be upheld; urges the HR/VP and EU Member States to take action to ensure that all appropriate steps are taken in order to make this demand effective and expresses the readiness of the EU to actively contribute in this respect;
4. Urges Israel to immediately, comprehensively and permanently end the siege on Gaza, most notably because it is unacceptable from a humanitarian standpoint;
5. Urges the HR/VP and EU Member States to take steps to ensure the sustainable opening of all the crossing points to and from Gaza, including the Gaza port, with adequate international end-use monitoring, to allow the unimpeded flow of humanitarian and commercial goods necessary for reconstruction and a self-supporting economy, as well as currency flows and unhindered movement of people;
6. Calls on the HR/VP and the Member States to reappraise the mandate of the European Union Border Assistance Mission, potentially with a maritime dimension, in line with the current political context and security conditions on the ground  in order to allow its immediate redeployment;
7. Calls on the HR/VP to initiate in close cooperation with the Arab League the opening of negotiations with the Palestinian National Authority on the control, the management and the internationalborder assistance mission of the crossing points from and into the Gaza strip, including the Gaza port, taking into account also the role of the de facto authorities of the Gaza strip; calls on the EU to actively support the ongoing inter-Palestinian reconciliation process;
8. Calls, in this regard, on the HR/VP to discuss at the forthcoming Council of Foreign Affairs the possibility to deploy an effective UN-mandated international border assistance mission aiming at controlling the crossing points from and into the Gaza strip, including the maritime dimension;
9. Insists that, unconditional humanitarian aid notwithstanding, the EU must play a political role which delivers tangible results that are consistent with its significant financial assistance and economic weight in the region;
10. Is convinced that there is an urgent need for a comprehensive reshaping of EU policy towards the Middle East to exert a decisive and coherent political role, accompanied by effective diplomatic tools, in favour of peace and security in this neighbouring region of vital strategic interest to the EU; considers that such reshaping should notably deal with the nature of the current EU representation in the region, in the context of the setting up of the EEAS which aims at improving the coherence and efficiency of the EU external action;
11. Is concerned by the possible consequences of this attack on the relations between Israel and Turkey which may increase tensions in the region; highlights the valuable role that Turkey has been playing over the years in promoting the peace process and encouraging the Palestinian reconciliation efforts;
12. Commends the work carried out by UNRWA and, aware of the financial shortfall it will face before the end of this year, calls on the international donor community to honour its existing pledges and to increase further its contributions;
13. Condemns the vote of the Knesset House Committee to revoke the privileges of Arab Member of the Knesset Ms. Hanin Zoabi for her participation in the Flotilla;
14. Calls on the HR/VP to urgently convene the EU-Israel Association Council for a thorough examination of the situation;
15. Takes the view that any possible consideration of the upgrading of the relations between the EU and Israel must go hand in hand with lifting the blockade on Gaza, full respect of international humanitarian and human rights obligations and genuine commitments towards a comprehensive political settlement of the conflict; calls in this respect for the freeze of the consent procedure of the EU-Israel agreement on the Conformity Assessment and Acceptance (ACAA) of Industrial Products for the free movement of goods and technical regulations;
16. Calls on EU Member States that are State Parties to the OECD to convene without delay a meeting with Israel with the purpose of the non-compliance of the principles laid down in the "roadmap for the accession to the OECD", notably in matters of international humanitarian and human rights obligations, and to take into account the outcome of this meeting in view of the signature of the accession agreement of Israel to the OECD;
17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative for CFSP, the Quartet Representative, the President of the Palestinian National Authority, the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Knesset and the Israeli Government, and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States;