AA13CR04ADD2
AS (2013) CR 04
Addendum 2
2014 ORDINARY SESSION
________________________
(First part)
REPORT
Fourth sitting
Tuesday, 28 January 2014 at 3.30 p.m.
ADDENDUM 2
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 JÓNASSON (Iceland) – I would like to start by expressing my appreciation for this excellent report. It is concise, informative, balanced in its assessment, and, above all, a living document with guidelines on how to proceed in the future. It is not just an arm-chair exercise.
The report assesses progress made after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe granted the Palestinian National Council Partner for Demcoracy status. On the whole, the evaluation is very positive: progress has been made, but at the same time, we are urged to encourage the Palestinian authorities to accelerate the implementation of the process of reform and to address the remaining concerns with regard to the rule of law and the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, in line with the political commitments that fall under the partnership.
I am a representative from Iceland and in recent years my country has been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian people against oppression by Israel. I had the privilege of being a member of a government that was in power between 2009 and 2013, that never wavered in its full support for the sovereignty and freedom of the Palestinian people. Only a few days after our government was formed, early in 2009 when Gaza was being mercilessly attacked by the Israelis, our Foreign Minister, on Iceland´s behalf, issued a strong declaration condemning the behaviour of the Isaelis. When Israel subsequently announced it was sending a Minister to Iceland to "correct" the views of the Icelandic government, our Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomed the Israeli Minister as a tourist, but declined to meet her. He also became one of the very few Foreign Ministers from Western Europe to visit Gaza and the West Bank – and symbolically left Israel out to emphasize the support and understanding of the Icelandic people for Palestine.
Our government supported the Palestinian application to become a member of UNESCO, and at the General Assembly of the United Nations, several times declared its support for the sovereignty of free Palestine based on the 1967 borders. Our government proposed to our Parliament that Iceland formally acknowledge the sovereignty of Palestine, and I am proud of the fact that it was agreed in Althingi, our parliament, without a single opposing vote. That, if anything, underscores how widespread the support of the Icelandic people is for Palestine. It was not an easy decision to make in opposition to powerful allies, but our government stood by the principle that every nation should have the right to decide its own future.
I am proud of the fact that, subsequently, Iceland, during the tenure of the government I was a member of, became the only western country to co-sponsor the proposal at the United Nations General Assembly which recommended the upgrading of Palestine to a non-member Observer State of the United Nations. I strongly recommend and endorse this resolution.
Mr CONNARTY (United Kingdom) – I welcome the tone, clarity and direction of the report and resolution from the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy on the Partnership for Democracy with the Palestinian National Council (PNC). The partnership must be renewed and developed for our mutual benefit. The honest and frank amendments from the Equality Committee add important context and challenges to our Palestinian partners. I know my friends in the PNC will recognise their importance for the human rights-based, free and independent country they deserve, as Mr Sabella indicated in his speech.
I am wearing the badge of the Holocaust Memorial Trust and have visited Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. I will not forget the lessons I and the students who accompanied me learned. I say to our colleague Mr Shai from Israel who spoke earlier that they were lessons about the need for mutual respect and assistance, co-operation and reconciliation. We must never forget, but we must also learn. I have not seen much evidence of that approach from Israel in the three decades since I first visited the occupied land of Palestine.
We must look at the facts in Palestine under Israeli occupation. Palestinian children as young as 13 are abused, arrested and imprisoned by Israel IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers: 83% are blindfolded and 50% are arrested in night raids. They are handcuffed, and all who have been brought to court have been seen in leg-irons. Is this a 21st century country or a 19th century country, with children in chains?
There are 675 000 Israeli settlers in Palestine West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights plus 600 Israeli businesses in Palestine West Bank. These are all illegal according to international law. Their presence violates the 4th Geneva Convention, and none of these Israeli settlements is supported by European Union Countries.
Country by country, we must re-engage with this great cause, which is the longest outstanding injustice now that apartheid is ended in South Africa. For human rights to triumph, we must have an end to settlement building, an end to the imprisonment of elected parliamentarians and an end to the arrest of children by Israel. We must campaign for an end to the occupation of Palestine by Israel. There is no other acceptable future for both countries.