AA16CR13ADD2

AS (2016) CR 13
Addendum 2

2016 ORDINARY SESSION

________________________

(Second part)

REPORT

Thirteenth sitting

Tuesday 19 April 2016 at 3.30 p.m.

Debate:

Evaluation of the partnership for democracy in respect of the Palestinian National Council

The following texts were submitted for inclusion in the official report by members who were present in the Chamber but were prevented by lack of time from delivering them.

Mr İHSANOĞLU (Turkey) – The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has been ongoing for more than seven decades, is one of the core problems awaiting a peaceful, fair and just solution. Lasting peace will not be achieved in the Middle East unless this conflict is resolved according to the United Nations Security Council resolutions and the agreed principles of the Middle East peace process.

The terrorist activities that we are all suffering from had their roots and justifications in this frozen conflict, so to attain peace in the Middle East and globally, the international community should contribute to finding a solution to this conflict.

The partnership for democracy in respect of the Palestinian National Council has indeed been a welcome initiative to contribute to the normalisation of the political situation in Palestine and constitutes a step towards a two-State solution.

This report clearly underlines the need to conduct elections in Palestine. For this election to be viable, all political parties in the West Bank and Gaza should actively participate, which is why reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas should be achieved once more.

I commend this report and would like to heartily support its reference to the United Nations Security Council stressing that Palestinian Muslim worshippers at Al-Haram Al-Sharif, in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound must be allowed to worship in peace, free from violence, threats and provocations.

Establishing working democracy in Palestine will surely help Palestinians in their endeavours to regain their inalienable rights and to become an honourable and equal member of the world community.

Ms TOLHURST (United Kingdom) – In advance of this debate, I have had the good fortune of having returned from a five-day trip to Palestine just less than 2 weeks ago. There I got to see first-hand the situation on the ground in the West Bank. I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with a number of Palestinians and human rights organisations and diplomats and, in doing so, built up a stronger, personal picture of the challenges the Palestinian people face.

It is evident that democracy in Palestine is not taking root as fast as would be preferred. Last year, we saw a rift between Fatah and Hamas culminating in the cancellation of another National Council meeting. It now also looks likely that we will not see any fresh elections for some time. Back in 2006, election turnout was high at 78% and international monitors said the vote was largely free and fair, despite the dismay from Israel and western donors.

However, democracy cannot flourish under the current level of military occupation. For instance, I saw highways constructed separating communities, and the anguish of parents due to the effects of the justice by Israeli military courts. This strikes me as provocative behaviour that directly hinders Palestine’s chance of achieving full democracy. Even so, governance assistance is still required to help the technocratic government which still fails to pave the way for promised elections across Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the latter under annexation by Israel.

Many ordinary Palestinians have become cynical about the entire political process and the ability of any faction to effect meaningful changes on the ground. The European Union and European Council stand in a good place to support the number of dedicated charities and humanitarian groups on the ground, who are all striving for the right outcome. I was pleased to offer the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians my time and support a couple of weeks ago, and I will certainly continue to offer all I possibly can. I hope that the European Union community will do similarly by providing the correct support to the correct people and programmes, alongside serious engagement with Israel, so that democracy can move forwards.

Previously, different areas of co-operation such as judicial reform, the promotion of good governance and the prevention of human trafficking had been identified without follow up. It is now time to fully mobilise the Council of Europe’s expertise towards contributing to the full implementation of democratic reforms in the Palestinian territories.

      Mr UYSAL (Turkey) – Granting the status of Partner for Democracy to the Palestinian National Council with the adoption of Resolution 1830 has been of great benefit to both the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Palestinian National Council. This is emphasised in the report, but on the other hand it is stated that progress promised by the Palestinian National Council could not be completed accurately. However, we cannot ignore that the distinction between the West Bank and Gaza, the ongoing invasion in Palestinian territories and finally Israel’s attitude against a two-State solution are the major reasons for this lack of progress.

To achieve durable peace in the Middle East, the 49-year-old invasion of the Palestinian territories should come to an end and a fully independent Palestinian State should be established. The pain of Palestinians who are struggling under Israeli occupation and aggression should not be ignored. Today, the most important obstacle for peace and stability in the Middle East is the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Despite the warnings of the international fora, Israel’s persistence for illegal settlements, inhumane offensives on Temple Mount and their refusal to let Palestinians enter Jerusalem are the main causes for the high tension in the region.

We should make an effort to find a just and permanent solution to the dispute, as removal of blockades and prohibitions are a priority. As representatives of the international community, we should do our best to find a comprehensive, fair and sustainable solution.

The cessation of oppression and injustice can only be achieved through a two-State solution in which two States co-exist in peace, side by side, based on the 1967 borders, and a Palestinian State whose capital is East Jerusalem.

As emphasised in the report, an active legislation is compulsory for the separation of powers, hence it is important to benefit from the experience of the Venice Commission and to realize the democratic reforms. We should, however, bear in mind, that to actualize democracy and democratic reforms, a Palestinian State not under occupation should be recognized as an independent and sovereign State by the international community.

Mr HASSON (Observer, Israel) – The report states that the human rights situation in the Palestinian Authority is far from satisfactory, but unfortunately takes very seriously the Palestinian position that "this is all because of the occupation".

We in Israel also have all sorts of domestic problems: growing social inequality, unaffordable housing, etc. Does anyone seriously think of blaming the Palestinians for that? Israelis, Palestinians and people all around the world have different problems. Some, indeed, are caused by external factors, but many are caused by domestic issues. History teaches us that undemocratic societies never carry any responsibility for their own problems: they blame the outsiders, the enemies, for every little bad thing. Unfortunately, this is precisely how the Palestinian Authority responded to the European inquiry. I certainly do not underestimate the hardship that the conflict causes for both sides. This is a devastating conflict that should be resolved on the basis of the two-States solution. But with all due respect, we cannot dismiss the Palestinians from their responsibility to their own faith.

Therefore, it is important to remind ourselves of a few other factors that the Palestinians have forgotten to mention: in 2007, the Palestinian Authority was violently thrown out of the Gaza strip and Hamas took over. Ever since then, the people of Gaza have been under Hamas occupation and subject to a brutal religious law. This happened with not one single Israeli soldier or settler standing on Gaza soil. Is the occupation to be blamed for Hamas’ brutal regime? There have been no elections held in Palestine since 2006 – Israel is not a player in this issue. The Palestinians themselves have tried to work this out, to no avail, and even mediators from Arab countries have failed to produce a sustainable solution. Hamas is a crucial obstacle for any kind of progress in the Palestinian Authority, yet it is only mentioned in the margins of the report. The Palestinians choose to ignore disturbing inquiries about their death penalty, their non-functioning judiciary system, the widespread violence against women and lack of freedom of speech.

We believe that Europe should play a positive role in the Middle East, but we do not think that the way to do it is by adopting ridiculous arguments. We wish Europe would use its influence to empower the civil infrastructure and secure human rights in the Palestinian Authority. We think that this is the best way to work for democracy in our region.