Summary: April 9, 2002: Statement of the Rt. Hon. Chris Patten, Commissioner for External Relations, on the situation in the Middle East at the Plenary Session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg
How have we come to this? Almost ten years ago Israel and the Palestinians laid the foundation for a peaceful settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict by recognizing each other's right to exist and by concluding the Oslo accords which helped to establish a Palestinian governmental structure for the first time ever. It equally helped Israel to improve its diplomatic and economic standing in the international community. The Oslo agreement also offered a precise time line at the end of which -
in 1999 - we should have been able to witnessed the final Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.
Alas, the promise of Oslo has not been delivered, partly because of what happened on the Israeli side with the rapid expansion of settlements and the non-implementation of agreed withdrawals from areas in the West Bank, and partly because of Palestinian violence perpetrated by extremist forces with the clear aim of sabotaging any Palestinian-Israeli peace deal.
Subsequently, the meeting in Camp David in summer 2000 and last ditch attempts to find a negotiated solution at Taba in January 2001 also failed to bring lasting peace.
Since then we have seen appalling destruction and misery. Israel, a democratic state that takes pride in its democracy, rule of law and humanitarian principles and undeniably is threatened by horrendous suicide bombings, has consistently behaved in a way which contradicts much that it stands for.
Suicide bombings are totally unacceptable, horrendous acts of terrorism and I say this without any qualification. They are wrong at every time, in every place. Wrong always. Wrong everywhere. I would have wished Arab leaders to be more outspoken in their condemnation of such acts and to work more actively to prevent young people from taking such extreme action. No circumstances can justify such acts and I sympathize with all of those Israeli families who have lost their loved ones in such
attacks, just as I grieve for all the Palestinian families who have been bereaved.
It is clear that there are no easy solutions. In my view the only way to bring a definitive end to the wave of suicide bombings is to tackle the source of the problems and find a just and lasting peace. Without this, there will be no guarantee of a cessation of violence. This is the only alternative, as has been pointed out by courageous people like the Speaker of the Knesset, Avraham Burg who has openly spoken out against entering into an 'insane cycle' of violence.
The current Israeli response of blockading an entire population, withholding tax revenues, extra-judicial killings, destruction of infrastructure and arable land is not the answer. This kind of behavior seems not only to be aimed at the elimination of terror but the elimination of the Palestinian Authority and any achievements of the Oslo accords. he EU has made clear that it will continue to support the Palestinian Authority, and its elected President, because there is a need for organized
structures to run the Palestinian territories and represent the Palestinian people in peace talks and internationally.
In such circumstances Europeans, appalled by the daily deterioration in the situation and by the horrific violence, must ask themselves what can we do?
We can provide a minimum of humanitarian assistance if and when the situation allows. In this context we must implore Israel to uphold international humanitarian law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention, must urge Israel to desist from denying medical services to those in need, end the indiscriminate shelling of refugee camps, the humiliating treatment of prisoners, and wanton destruction of public and private property. This all will only leave a legacy of bitterness and will drag
Israel's international reputation through the mire.
We support such initiatives as the proposed mission by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, to look into the human rights situation and recommend any appropriate action, which may be necessary to protect human rights according to international standards. There is no question that sooner or later Israel will have to justify - as a democracy that prides its pluralist traditions - the way it is behaving at the bar of world opinion.
Of course we support the international community's call on Israel to stop its military operation in the West Bank. We support the Saudi initiative, which has led to the historic decision of the Arab Summit end of March. We also support the latest UN resolutions and have expressed our agreement with President Bush's statement urging Israel to stop its military operation without delay.
However Israel does not appear to be listening to any outside advice. It should care about the damage its current policies is doing to its international reputation, quite apart from the fact that a policy based on repression and force will not achieve the aim of bringing lasting security to Israel's population. All it will do is to give a malign new charge to a cult of violence and death. The General Affairs Council next week will want to consider the gravity of the situation and discuss how we
can make our concern felt in Israel. We want to keep open the channels for dialogue with Israel - this is what President Prodi has had in mind. However, Israel has to show for once that it is listening, that it will respect the international standards of behavior that we have all agreed to uphold and that it will explore all avenues to peace, not just stick to a military approach. The whole world is united in its calls for an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territory and a return to the
negotiating table. This is the only way to find an honorable and lasting peace which is so desired by the populations of the region and by the wider world. Unless we take that way, the only alternative will be more misery, more destruction, more death.
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