Summary: April 8, 2002: Statement of European Commission President Romano Prodi in Brussels: EU concerned by the worsening humanitarian situation in the Middle East (Brussels)
Statement of European Commission President Romano Prodi in Brussels:
"I am increasingly concerned about the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories. It is beyond any doubt that aid is now urgently needed and that the situation in the West Bank is rapidly turning into a major humanitarian crisis.
The violence has spiraled out of control. Palestinian suicide bombings have killed or injured hundreds of innocent people in Israel. In the last 10 days around 300 Palestinians have been killed, hundreds injured and 1400 arrested as a result of house-to-house searches conducted by military forces.
The Commission has just adopted a € 5 million aid package and is ready to deliver further humanitarian assistance. However, the main problem for humanitarian workers remains the difficulty and impossibility of getting access to the most needy. All cities in the West Bank are totally sealed off from the outside world and the Israelis maintain a strict non-entrance policy. Reports of harassment, physical abuse and arrests of civilians, medical personnel and humanitarian aid workers are
numerous.
The International Committee of the Red Cross, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and other medical personnel, human rights defenders and journalists have all been restricted from carrying out their activities. Some of the personnel have been fired upon or physically harassed and others arrested. Most of the hospitals are unable to function because of the damage to the electricity, water, telephone infrastructure and lack of equipment and medical supplies.
Due to this difficult situation and constant curfews on hospitals, they are unable to receive the wounded and sick, or obtain food and medicines. Numerous houses have been destroyed and shelling from helicopters and tank fire have caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructures, including houses, schools, hospitals and UN offices which provide services to refugees. The sanctity of all Holy Places must be absolutely protected.
The Israeli government must guarantee safe access for humanitarian workers to the Palestinian population. The Israeli government must immediately pull out its military forces from recently occupied territories.
We understand and respect the right of the Israeli people to live in peace and the duty of their armed forces to defend the safety of their population. But the time has come for the Israelis and Palestinians to break away from the infernal cycle of violence, revenge and retaliation. Violence can only create more violence. It will never bring peace.
To President Arafat and all Palestinians, I say abandon terrorism. The European Union remains convinced that President Arafat and the Palestinian Authority is the legitimate partner with whom peace talks must resume immediately. But you must clearly denounce all acts of terrorism that bring death and misery to innocent civilian people. There can be no justification for suicide bombings killing innocent people. Terrorism puts the legitimate cause of the Palestinian people into jeopardy and you
risk loosing the support and protection of the international community.
The use of terrorism is a tragic error that threatens the entire future of Palestinian people.
We want to see peaceful co-existence between the Israelis and Palestinians, the security of Israel and an independent Palestinian state, but none of this can be built on terror.
The greatest tragedy is to see young Israelis and Palestinians fighting and dying, when they should be studying, working and talking to each other.
We support US Secretary of State Powell's efforts to halt the violence and bring sanity back to the region. A multilateral framework for a solution involving the UN and Russia alongside the EU and the USA remains the best and only hope for achieving full implementation of the relevant UN Resolutions."
Statement of EU Commissioner Poul NIELSON, responsible for Development & Humanitarian Aid, in Brussels:
"There seems to be a concerted effort to hinder assistance to the wounded. The intentional attacks on medical teams, which are prevented from treating the sick and wounded, have reached an unprecedented level. Even ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) who had been granted permission to move freely by the Israeli civilian administration, have had their movements restricted by the IDF, been shot at and threatened at gunpoint while more than 10 ambulances belonging to the organization
and the Palestinian Red Crescent have been damaged beyond repair.
Even UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees) has not been spared. Its mostly local staff are being prevented from reaching HQ in Jerusalem, creating a severe staff shortage. UNRWA schools and hospitals are being used as detention and interrogation centers or have been demolished and access to the refugee camps is being denied.
On 2 April 2002, the European Commission adopted a humanitarian aid decision of €5 million for both Palestine and Lebanon. This decision envisages:
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