09/01/2009
Rasmussen to Ehud Barak “End immediately the military operation”
PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen has sent a letter to Ehud Barak, Leader of the Israeli Labour Party and Minister of Defence, calling him to “end immediately the military operation and ground invasion.”
The letter, while acknowledging that Hamas has “significant responsibility” for the current crisis and condemning Hamas for rocket attacks against Israel, states that the more than 600 civilian deaths in Gaza is “outrageous and disproportionate to the Israeli casualties caused by Hamas rocket attacks.”
Rasmussen writes “The number of innocent children killed and families destroyed is appalling” and that “no one can justify such extreme actions.” He goes on to say “Israel must comply with her obligations under international law” and warns that “the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza is deeply damaging EU-Israel relations.”
The PES President goes on to make a strong case for political rather than military responses to the insecurity in and around Gaza, stating that there are no “military means to end Hamas leadership of the Gaza strip. On the contrary, we are witnessing the rise of even stronger popular support for Hamas in the Palestinian territories and in the Arab world.”
“Only a comprehensive political agreement between Israel and Palestine will create the conditions for peace and security.”
Rasmussen calls for an “immediate ceasefire agreement, as proposed by Egyptian President Mubarak and supported by the EU and the US” with third-party monitoring to ensure compliance, as well as the “complete withdrawal of IDF troops from Gaza”, and lifting of the siege of Gaza “with immediate access for humanitarian supplies and opening of the crossing points.”
“The Israel-Palestine conflict is at the heart of regional insecurity in the Middle East. I am convinced that an international conference should be convened by the Quartet to negotiate a political agreement, with all the players in the region, along the lines of the Arab League initiative and previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements.”
“I urge you to choose the path of the political negotiations in the interests of Israel and the security of the whole region.”
Read the letter
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Julian Scola, Communications Advisor - Media & Campaigns
Party of European Socialists, Rue du Trône, 98, B-1050 Brussels
Mobile +32 486 117 394
julian.scola@pes.org
