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The first part of the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) continues in Strasbourg. MEPs Mr George Loukaidis and Ms Christiana Erotokritou addressed the Assembly's plenary session yesterday on recent developments in the Middle East and Israel's response to the Hamas terrorist attack.
Mr Loukaidis said that the Council of Europe's stance on the atrocities committed by the State of Israel against the Palestinians is a very disappointing development in the history of the Council of Europe. Although the CSCE rightly condemned, from the very first moment, the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, he pointed out, however, for 105 days the Council of Europe and the Assembly in particular have not said a word about the tragic situation of the Palestinians in Gaza, nor have they criticised or urged Israel to reconsider its approach and its disproportionate reaction against the Palestinian people. Not a single intervention by the Organization has been made public, he added, in relation to the official findings of the United Nations, which document the mass killing of thousands of civilians, the destruction of homes and infrastructure in Gaza and the displacement of 90% of the population, actions that make the living conditions of the Palestinian people in Gaza tragic and inhumane. These actions, the Cypriot MP said, are contrary to international humanitarian law and constitute acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing. He also called for the release of all Hamas hostages and Palestinian political prisoners and for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Mr. Loucaides called on the Israeli authorities to end the apartheid regime and the occupation of Palestinian territories and stressed the need to resume peace negotiations towards a two-state solution, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, which would ensure peace, security and stability for the peoples of the region.
Ms. Erotokritou, in her written intervention, pointed out that the escalation of violence in the Middle East is linked to the volatile situation in the region, where regional powers are competing and clashing, without the international community having succeeded in becoming a reliable partner for the countries of the region. The Hamas terrorist organisation, she said, taking advantage of the weaknesses of the Palestinian Authority and the balance of power in the region, has managed to derail the normalisation of relations between the Arab world and Israel. The renewed tensions, the war in Gaza and the general destabilization of the region, the Cypriot MP said, threaten the security of Europe itself.
In order to create the conditions for peace and security, the international community and the European Union must invest in dialogue with the Arab world and assume a more active involvement and role in the region. Building relations of mutual respect and trust and achieving common goals on the basis of international law can form the basis for achieving conditions of peace, security and prosperity, he stressed. Otherwise, she warned, those forces that are averse to peace and cooperation and embrace radicalisation, fanaticism, violence and hatred will continue to gain ground.
It is noted that Mrs Erotokritou tabled an amendment to a related resolution, concerning the addition of a reference to the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus to create a sea corridor for the dispatch of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which was adopted unanimously by the House.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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