During a visit to Israel and Palestine by the European
Parliament's foreign affairs committee, both sides confirmed
their willingness to start fresh peace talks without
preconditions. The Socialists and Democrats Group MEPs
participating in the Delegation, Arne Lietz (Germany) and Gilles
Pargneaux (France), welcomed these statements. However, they also
warned that both sides are blaming the other for not being ready
to start the talks. The delegation also visited Jordan.
S&D MEP Arne Lietz described their
findings:
"Israeli settlements in Palestine jeopardise the possibility of a
two-state solution and peace-building process. During the visit,
the UN Security Council vote last December on the illegal Israeli
settlements was discussed numerous times. We welcome the result
of the vote and invite Israel to follow up on the resolution. The
European Parliament should also adopt a resolution on this matter
soon.
"During our visit to Bethlehem the city mayor showed us the
expansion of the settlements and how they are having an
increasingly negative impact on the daily living conditions of
Palestinians."
S&D MEP Gilles Pargneaux added:
"We reminded our interlocutors about the Arab Peace Initiative.
Prince Faisal of Jordan is considering bringing it back to the
table during Jordan’s upcoming presidency of the Arab League.
This could be the next step after the Paris Peace Conference
taking place on 15 January.
"During the meetings in Jordan we expressed our appreciation to
the country for accepting 1.2 million refugees from Syria, making
it one of the biggest refugee communities in the world. We
understand the burden which it places on the country and welcome
that the European Union is stepping up efforts in helping the
Jordanian authorities with the integration of Syrian refugees
into the local job market and into their education system."
