Motion for a resolution | Doc. 14296 | 25 April 2017

A two-State solution in Israel and Palestine

Signatories: Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Ms Thorhildur Sunna ÆVARSDÓTTIR, Iceland, NR ; Ms Tasmina AHMED-SHEIKH, United Kingdom, NR ; Mr Deniz BAYKAL, Turkey, SOC ; Ms Maryvonne BLONDIN, France, SOC ; Ms Nicole DURANTON, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Josette DURRIEU, France, SOC ; Ms Ute FINCKH-KRÄMER, Germany, SOC ; Ms Annette GROTH, Germany, UEL ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Ms Katrín JAKOBSDÓTTIR, Iceland, UEL ; Ms Eva-Lena JANSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Lotta JOHNSSON FORNARVE, Sweden, UEL ; Mr Carles JORDANA, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Ertuğrul KÜRKÇÜ, Turkey, UEL ; Mr George LOUCAIDES, Cyprus, UEL ; Ms Kerstin LUNDGREN, Sweden, ALDE ; Mr Philippe MAHOUX, Belgium, SOC ; Ms Liliane MAURY PASQUIER, Switzerland, SOC ; Sir Alan MEALE, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Marco NICOLINI, San Marino, UEL ; Mr Henk OVERBEEK, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Bernard SABELLA, Palestine ; Mr Alex SALMOND, United Kingdom, NR ; Ms Ulla SANDBÆK, Denmark, UEL ; Mr Manuel TORNARE, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, Denmark, UEL

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The Parliamentary Assembly has discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict many times. The last one was in 2013 when, in its Resolution 1940 (2013) on the situation in the Middle East, the Assembly reiterated "its support for two equally legitimate aspirations: Israel's right to be recognised and live in safety, and the Palestinian's right to have an independent, viable and contiguous State” and it regretted that “since 2010, the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians has not progressed”.

Four years later the peace process has still not progressed and negotiations are at a standstill. In the meantime the reconciliation between Palestinians did not take place and the Israelis continue to build settlements in the occupied territories.

2017 is the 50th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. For a two-State solution to be workable it is imperative to end the illegal occupation and to respect international resolutions and agreements on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including the issues of settlements, the status of Jerusalem, the return of refugees and other issues that were set to be negatiated between the PLO and Israel.

Considering that both the Israeli Knesset and the Palestinian National Council are represented in the Parliamentary Assembly and in some of the other organs of the Council of Europe amongst which is the Venice Commission, the Assembly should therefore investigate how the Council of Europe, including the Assembly itself, could and should contribute to a sustainable two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.