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Alfred Sant calls for European policy in favour of a two-state solution
Labour MEP says European Union should follow the line taken by UN Secretary General Guterres which takes into account the full context of the experience of the Palestinian people and the need for Israel to be recognised by the Palestinians in the framework of a two-state arrangement
29 November 2023, 12:40pm
Karl Azzopardi
Karl Azzopardi
2 min read
Former Labour leader and MEP Alfred Sant
Labour MEP Alfred Sant has insisted for a European policy which favours a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Speaking during the European Parliament plenary debate on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the former Prime Minister said the European Union should follow the line taken by United Nations Secretary General Guterres.
“This is the best available option, no matter who rebuts it,” he emphasized.
Guterres called for a lasting solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict that takes into account the full context of the experience of the Palestinian people and the need for Israel to be recognised by the Palestinians in the framework of a two-state arrangement.
“On the one hand, we are told, there is a new confrontation being set up by a Russia-China-Iran axis, against the ‘Western’ coalition that the US and Europe represent, plus Israel and hopefully some Arab states, chief of which Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, the Palestinian issue is presented as an anticolonial struggle against an invading tribe simply intent on practising ethnic cleansing”, he argued.
The Labour MEP insisted that Europe should not accept both sides of this “fundamentally misleading dichotomy.”
The Israel-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of over 11,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children. While thousands have been reported missing and are thought to be trapped or dead under the rubble, over 1.7 million people of Gaza’s population are estimated to be internally displaced. Following the attack carried out by Hamas against Israel on 7 October Members of the European Parliament emphasized the urgent need for the release of hostages and immediate humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire.
Alfred Sant said diplomatic discourse about humanitarian issues and the search for a ceasefire not just a truce must continue. He stressed that given the levels of barbarity which the Israel-Hamas war has reached, that discourse and that search should be accompanied by a re-evaluation of the position that European nations adopt towards Israel and Palestinians.
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.
Karl Azzopardi is Online Editor and an IGM press awards (Human Stories) winner of 2019
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