EP Condemns Killing of Palestinians in Gaza Strip by Israeli Troops
Brussels, MINA — The European Parliament (EP) condemned Thursday the killings and injury of innocent Palestinian demonstrators in the Gaza Strip over the past three weeks, and urged the Israeli military forces to refrain from using lethal force against unarmed protestors, KUNA reported.
In a resolution passed by 524 votes to 30, the EP supported the calls for independent and transparent investigations into these violent events.
It stressed the right of Palestinians to peaceful protest as a legitimate exercise of their fundamental rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association, but also calls on those leading the protests in the Gaza Strip to avoid any incitement to violence.
It called for utmost restraint and underlined that the priority must be to avoid any further escalation of violence and loss of life.
The resolution also condemned “the terror attacks by Hamas and other militant groups against Israel from the Gaza Strip.”
The EP appealed for an “immediate and unconditional end to the blockade and closure of the Gaza Strip”, and voiced deep concern about the warning in various UN reports that the Gaza Strip may become unliveable by 2020.
It applauded the work of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) providing food assistance, access to education and healthcare, and other vital services to the 1.3 million Palestine refugee population in the area.
The resolution reiterated that the EU’s main objective is to achieve the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states. (T/RS5/RS1)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
