Belgium, Brussels Feb. 21 / Trend , A. Ismayilova /
TREND News exclusive interview with Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the European Parliament
Q: As a Vice President of the European Parliament, do you have any plan on liquidation the humanitarian disaster in Gaza Strip after the war?
A: In Gaza there is not only a humanitarian disaster: there is first of all, the unsolved issue of the lack of freedom and independence for the entire Palestinian population, both in West Bank and Gaza; there is the matter of the Israeli violations of all the UN resolutions done after they occupied the land in 1967.
At the same time, the humanitarian disaster in Gaza has been produced by the Israeli and International policies which imposed embargo and closures -also for people- for all border crossings, with the exception of patients with serious diseases, but however not for all, since many people died because of the blockade and for not having the permit to cross Eretz checkpoint to go to the hospitals.
With the last military aggression the Israelis have committed war crimes: that's why there is a need of a transparent investigation made by the UN, since from what I have seen up till now on the ground, in Gaza Strip there have been great breaches of Geneva Conventions, destruction of schools, hospitals, industrial areas, and civilians population have been the target of the aggression.
As member of the European Parliament I am trying to make aware the members of the real situation in the Territories in particular by organizing delegations of MEPs in Gaza and West Bank in order to see by themselves what does it mean to be under occupation and also to show that Palestinians are not only extremist militants throwing rockets on the Israeli civil population. On the contrary, there are more than three millions of them who are resisting in a peacefully and non-violent way to the occupation, just to survive or to be able to go to work or to send children to school, like in Bi'ilin where young Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals are demonstrating every Friday and through non-violence, resisting to the construction of the Wall which also Jimmy Carter defined as a symbol of Apartheid and I would add, too, that the wall is also an instrument for the annexation of Palestinian land to the State of Israel.
Regarding all these issues we need a more determined European policy which will include the suspension of the Association agreement and the stop to the upgrade of relations with Israel, since it does not comply with the respect of human rights and international legality. Our Parliament till now refused to vote on the upgrading of relationship and many resolutions called for the end of the siege in Gaza and the necessity to work for the unity of the Palestinian leadership and territories, of course we also called for the end of attacks against Israeli civilians.
Q: How will relations between the European Union and Israel proceed in case a new Israeli government headed by the right wing will refuse from the dialogue with Palestinians?
A: I really hope that Governments of all countries composing the EU will understand that Israel need to be rescued and saved also by their extremists, who probably will compose the new Israeli Government. I hope that EU will act coherently: if we say and support "Two people for Two states", it means that Europe, but also the International Community, should act to stop the policy of settlements, the closures, the embargo, the military incursions inside the West Bank, and in addition we should be able to implement policies towards Israel in order to make pressures on it for a change in its policy: after all, the only moment in which Israel stopped for a little while to build settlement it was when the US Senate suspended its yearly aid.
Q: What will be your steps to promote creation of common Palestinian government, joining Hamas and Fatah movements?
A: Well I don't think I will have this power, but certainly our standing for the unity of the Palestinian people can help. What we should do is to make sure that when Palestinians will be able to have an Unity Government -with the help of other countries of course, but mainly through their own efforts- the EU will recognize it without making the same mistakes committed in the past, when Hamas was democratically elected and we refused to recognize not only that Government and but even the Government of Unity which came out thanks to the efforts of the Palestinian Prisoners, first of all Marwan Barghouti.
Saying all that and recognizing all our responsibilities as International community as well as the main responsibility of Israel as occupying power, also the Palestinian leadership has their own responsibilities because of their disunity and for the choice, made by Hamas and by other groups, of a kind of resistance which besides being dangerous for the Israeli civil population does not help at all the Palestinian cause. But really it is time for the Palestinian people to see some justice and enjoy freedom and independence: it will be the only way to have peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis.
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