European lawmakers call for international force to stop killings in Gaza
Islamist Republic News Agency (Iran)
Brussels, Nov 11 2006
European lawmakers call for international force to stop killings in Gaza
Members of the European Parliament which recently returned from a fact-finding mission to Israel and Palestine said they were "shocked and appalled by what we have seen and experienced in Gaza."
"We call upon Israel to stop the violation of human rights and repeated breaches of the Geneva Convention," said the 12 MEPs who belong to all political groups represented in the EP in a statement Friday.
"We call for a complete ceasefire by Israel, an immediate withdrawal of troops from Gaza and an end to the military incursion in the West Bank. We strongly object to the description by Israel of those it has killed as "terrorists."
"We ask the UN and the Quartet to send international forces to protect the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations, while calling for an international conference with all the parties involved reaching a comprehensive and just peace for the area."
The European lawmakers called and insisted that the EU should review the association agreement with Israel and consider imposition of sanctions on the Zionist state unless it ceases the killing of civilians and violation of human rights.
Due to economic sanctions, almost all public institutions have shut down. Hospitals are overcrowded and receive neither money nor sufficient medicine. Public employees in Palestine have not been paid for months. Doctors told us that some deadly injuries are not caused by traditional weapons but most likely by new experimental chemical weapons, noted the statement.
The closure of Rafah and Karni crossing for people and goods has turned Gaza into an open air prison. Recently, Gaza has seen horrible carnage.
"We urge Hamas and Fatah and all the democratic Palestinian forces, even under these circumstances, not to stop their efforts to form a unity government," said the MEPs.
