The resolution was drawn up by five political groups and passed by Parliament as a whole, by 498 votes to 88, with 111 abstentions.
Here is the adopted text in full:
The raw text:
Recognition of Palestine statehood
European
Parliament resolution of 17 December 2014 on recognition of Palestine statehood
(2014/2964(RSP))
The European Parliament,
– having
regard to its previous resolutions on the Middle East peace process,
– having
regard to the conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council on the Middle East
Peace Process of 17 November 2014,
– having
regard to the statements of the High Representative/Vice-President on the
attack in the Har Nof synagogue of 18 November 2014, on the terrorist attack in
Jerusalem of 5 November 2014, and to the statement by the Spokesperson of the
EU High Representative on the latest developments in the Middle East of 10
November 2014,
– having
regard to the announcement of the Swedish government on the recognition of the
State of Palestine of 30 October 2014, as well as the earlier recognition by
other Member States before joining the European Union,
– having
regard to the motions on the recognition of the State of Palestine approved in
the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on 13 October 2014, the Irish Senate
on 22 October 2014, the Spanish Parliament on 18 November 2014, the French
National Assembly on 2 December 2014, and the Portuguese Assembly on 12
December 2014,
– having
regard to International Law,
– having
regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas
the EU has repeatedly confirmed its support for the two-state solution on the
basis of the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states with
the secure State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous and
viable State of Palestine living side by side in peace and security and called
for the resumption of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian
Authority;
B. whereas
finding a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, has been a
key concern for the international community, including the European Union, for
more than half-a-century;
C. whereas
direct peace talks between the parties are stalled; whereas the EU has called
on the parties to pursue actions conducive to an environment of confidence
necessary to ensure meaningful negotiations, to refrain from actions that
undermine the credibility of the process and to prevent incitement;
D. whereas
in its resolution of 22 November 2012, the European Parliament stressed that
peaceful and non-violent means are the only way to achieve a just and lasting
peace between Israelis and Palestinians, called for the creation of the
conditions for the resumption of direct peace talks between the two parties,
supported, in this connection, Palestine’s bid to become a UN non-member
observer, considered this an important step in making Palestinian claims more
visible, stronger and more effective, and called on, in this connection, the EU
Member States and the international community to find an agreement in this
direction;
E. whereas
the United Nations General Assembly decided on 29 November 2012 to grant
Palestine non-member observer state status in the UN;
F. whereas
the recognition of the State of Palestine falls in the competence of the Member
States;
G. recalling
the commitment of the PLO to recognise the state of Israel since 1993;
1. Supports
in principle recognition of Palestinian statehood and the two state solution,
and believes these should go hand in hand with the development of peace talks,
which should be advanced;
2. Supports
the efforts of President Abbas and the Palestinian national consensus
government; stresses again the importance of consolidating the authority of the
Palestinian consensus government and its administration in the Gaza Strip;
urges all Palestinian factions, including Hamas, to accept the commitments of
the PLO and end internal divisions; calls for continued EU support and
assistance for Palestinian institutional capacity-building;
3. Expresses
grave concern at the growing tensions and increasing violence in the region;
condemns in the strongest terms all acts of terrorism or violence, and extends
its condolences to the families of the victims; warns about the risks of
further escalation of violence involving holy sites, which could transform the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict into a religious conflict; calls on political
leaders from all sides to work together through visible actions to de-escalate
the situation and stresses that non-violent means and respect for human rights
and humanitarian law are the only way to achieve a sustainable solution and a
just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians; underlines that any
violent action can only fuel extremism on both sides; urges all parties to
refrain from any action that would worsen the situation by way of incitement,
provocation, excessive use of force or retaliation;
4. Stresses
also that actions, which call into question stated commitments to a negotiated
solution must be avoided; underlines that settlements are illegal under
international law; calls on both parties to refrain from any action which may
undermine the viability and the prospects of the two-state solution;
5. Reiterates
its strong support for the two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders,
with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, with the secure State of Israel
and an independent, democratic, contiguous and viable Palestinian State living
side by side in peace and security on the basis of the right of
self-determination and full respect of international law;
6. Welcomes
the recent visit of the High Representative/Vice-President to Israel and to
Palestine and her commitment to engage proactively in a positive process aimed
at breaking the circle of the conflict and creating the conditions for genuine
progress in the peace process; believes that the European Union should take its
responsibility and become a genuine actor and facilitator in the Middle East
peace process, also with a view to the need of the resumption of the peace
talks, including through a common approach and a comprehensive strategy for a
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; reiterates that a diplomatic
approach under the auspices of the Middle East Quartet is necessary and recalls
the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative;
7. Calls
on the HR/VP to facilitate a common EU position in this regard;
8. Underlines
the need for a comprehensive peace, ending all claims and fulfilling the
legitimate aspirations of both parties, including those of Israelis for
security and those of Palestinians for statehood; stresses that the only
possible solution to the conflict is the coexistence of two States, Israel and
Palestine;
9. Decides
to launch a “Parliamentarians for Peace” initiative aiming to bring together
cross-party Members of European, Israeli and Palestinian Parliaments to help
advance an agenda for peace and to complement EU diplomatic efforts;
10. Instructs
its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security
Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, the governments and
parliaments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations,
the Middle East Quartet Envoy, the Knesset and the Government of Israel, the
President of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council.
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