EU Parliament Says Palestine Bid For UN Statehood Legitimate, But Want Talks

The European Parliament called Palestine’s bid for statehood “legitimate” in a resolution passed on Thursday, and said that a solution should be found within a year. MEPs said, however, that Palestinian statehood should result from negotiations, during the current UN General Assembly session.

“The right of Palestinians to self-determination and to have their own state is unquestionable, as is the right of Israel to exist within safe borders”, said the resolution, adopted by a show of hands.

1967 borders, Jerusalem as capital

Parliament reiterated its strong support for the two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as capital of both states, and stressed that direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians should resume without delay.

The resolution underlined that “no changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties should be accepted”.

Common EU position needed

Parliament called on the EU’s foreign affairs High Representative and Member States to find a common EU position on the Palestinian request and to avoid divisions among Member States.

MEPs also underlined that Member States and the international community should reconfirm their strong commitment to the security of the Israel.

Stop settlement construction

Parliament called on the Israeli Government to stop all construction and extension of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

MEPs also insisted that rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip should cease and a permanent truce should be agreed.