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European Parliament Denounces Israeli Occupation
In a press release, Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the European Parliament stated that:
"It is time for the Israeli Government to stop considering itself above the law and start respecting (the law), beginning by freezing all settlement -building activities and ending its siege on the Gaza Strip. Until the Israeli Government signals its willingness to abide by international law and especially human rights and humanitarian law, the European Parliament is not disposed to vote.
"Today's vote is an important political message, directed not against Israel, but at pushing the Israeli leadership to respect their obligations in order to achieve tangible results from the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, so that they can reach a peaceful solution and the security of the two peoples. It is also a signal to the EU Council and Commission, that they must put pressure on Israel to stop its colonization of the 1967 Occupied Palestinian Territory.
"This vote is also a sign of hope for the Palestinians, telling them that the European Parliament is not deaf to the suffering of people in Gaza and the West Bank, and that the EP is not only determined to verbally criticize the situation but to take concrete action for the respect of human rights and international law."
Morgantini noted that Israel had failed to improve the situation in the occupied territories, and had neither lifted the military closures in Palestinian areas or stopped settlement development.
She concluded: "This vote is positive for us Europeans, who are showing to ourselves and to the entire world that respect for human rights and the achievement of justice are not an abstract declaration of principles."
The declaration demonstrates that Israel is not above the law and will pay an increasingly heavy prince for its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
Distributed by PAJU (Palestinian and Jewish Unity)