Green Party calls for immediate EU action in response to Israeli attacks on Gaza
04 March 2008
The Green Party today warned that the time for expressions of concern over the attacks on the Gaza Strip is over. What is needed now is urgent action, including a suspension of the EU Association Agreement with Israel.
Green Co-Principal Speaker Caroline Lucas MEP, who is a member of the EU's official delegation to Palestine, said:
"The recent Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip is an unacceptable act of collective punishment of the people of Gaza. It is a clear breach of international humanitarian law, for which Israel must be held to account. The international community must take immediate action to stop this catastrophe. The time for expressions of concern is over - we need urgent action now to halt Israeli aggression. As a first step, the EU should suspend its association agreement with Israel.
"Both sides in the Israel-Palestine struggle must seek to uphold human rights and international law. Through the suspension of its trading relations with Israel, the EU must send out a clear signal that the violence and destruction, as well as the blockade of goods and services, being inflicted on the people of Palestine by the Israeli forces is simply unacceptable. Only then can both sides start to draw back from the fighting and establish any semblance of a lasting peace.
"The US must also stop playing politics in the area, and put real pressure on Israel. Sadly, it comes as no surprise today to find that leaked reports have exposed a US strategy to overthrow the Hamas government following its election victory in 2006. The Bush administration has shown complete contempt for democratic processes when its own interests have not been served, seeking to undermine the authority of the Palestinian leadership and exacerbating violence in the war-torn region."
Green Co-Principal Speaker Dr. Derek Wall added
"A tide of international protest is necessary to prevent a catastrophe in Gaza. We must raise our collective voices against the assault on the people of the Gaza Strip. The EU must end arms sales to Israel, and the international community must prevent new assaults on the civilians of the Middle East."
The recent attack culminated in 5 days of intense fighting that left over 100 Palestinians and 3 Israelis dead and has brought severe criticism from the international community. Although Israeli troops have now been withdrawn, they still remain close to the Gaza border, with more conflict almost inevitable. "We are in the midst of a combat action," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was quoted as telling a parliamentary committee. "What happened in recent days was not a one-time event."(1)
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