The European Green Party (EGP) and its member parties are gravely concerned by the ongoing developments in the Middle East and the escalating situation that was already addressed in the resolution “The European Greens Stand for a Lasting End to Violence in Israel and Palestine”. Adopted at the EGP Congress of December 2023 after October 7th and the subsequent explosion of violence, the resolution called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

The horrific terrorist attack committed by Hamas caused immense trauma in the Israeli population and the whole Jewish community. We continue to condemn all violent attacks on Israel. While respecting Israel’s right to self-defence, the Israeli government’s response has been disproportionate and the civilian cost of the current conflict is unacceptable. We continue to stand in undivided solidarity with civilians in Israel and Palestine and express our deepest sorrow with the victims and their families. 

Since the adoption of the December 2023 resolution, our concern has increased in light of the nationalist far-right Israeli government’s flagrant disregard of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) order that Israel must halt its military operations in Rafah and Gaza on the grounds that such actions could lead to conditions conducive to genocide. The Israeli government’s escalation in the use of force since their initial response in self-defence to Hamas’s terrorist attacks in October 2023 has led to a humanitarian situation that has continued to worsen with catastrophic consequences, especially for civilians, including starvation and the deprivation of water and fuel.

Israel shall refrain from launching indiscriminate attacks and obstructing humanitarian aid under all circumstances. Israel shall act according to the ICJ Advisory Opinion of July 2024. Meanwhile Hamas, recognized by the EU as a terrorist organization since 2001, has continued to perpetrate violence since the October 7th massacre of Israeli civilians and to hold hostages under horrific conditions. The hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. The Israeli government has not prioritized the release of the hostages. The Israeli government must stop any arbitrary and unlawful administrative detention of Palestinians.

Over the past year, the escalation has spread across the region due to military attacks by different actors which have also resulted in the killing of innocent civilians. All actors must stop conducting military operations in the territory of sovereign countries. The Israeli government must immediately cease military strikes, ground operations, and indiscriminate acts against civilians, UN staff and peacekeepers, medical workers, and journalists. These attacks, as well as those of Hamas, are not aligned with international law. Hezbollah and other militant terrorist proxy groups must enact an immediate cessation of missile and drone strikes and indiscriminate acts against civilians. The escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border must cease so that the great numbers of internally displaced people on both sides can return home. We strongly condemn Iran’s attacks in April and October 2024 against Israel as well as Iran’s policy of destabilizing the region through proxies and their continued attacks. This conflict has also caused severe and deeply concerning damage to the natural environment.

We welcome the most recent announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and implore all actors to respect the agreement as well as reiterate the European Greens’ fundamental belief that political solutions can bring long-lasting peace to the region.

As European Greens, without reservation, we consider it essential to take action to stop all violence and the crimes that we condemn with this resolution. It is borne out of the recognition that the EU and all European countries bear not only a historical responsibility but also a positive obligation – as enshrined in the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide – to do everything in their power to prevent war crimes and genocidal developments in the world and help work towards peace.

In line with different views across Europe, some EGP member parties see sufficient evidence to consider that the Palestinian people is the victim of genocide, others consider that this evidence needs to be ruled by an international court. We all stand united in condemnation of all crimes that are listed in this resolution, including the crimes against humanity and war crimes that are the grounds on which the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif.

As European Greens, we recognize the right to self-determination of Palestinians and Israelis, we call for a just political solution for a lasting peace, including the recognition of the State of Palestine, as an important step towards the two-state solution.

The European Green Party adopts the following points so that immediate decisive action can address the ongoing human rights violations and support the cessation of hostilities.

The European Green Party calls on all parties to the conflict to:

• Immediately and unconditionally release all hostages, implement an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and protect all civilians from indiscriminate violence by any party.

• Recognize the right to self-determination of Palestinians and Israelis and call for a just political solution for a lasting peace, including the recognition of the State of Palestine, as an important step towards the two-state solution.

• Abide by international treaties promoting peace and security, including the Geneva Convention and the 1951 Refugee Convention.

• Facilitate the Palestinians’ right of return, while respecting their right to self-determination.

• Cooperate with national governments, international institutions, and law enforcement to ensure the domestic enforcement of all ICC arrest warrants, including those which have been issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (“Deif”).

• Guarantee full human, civil and political rights for all, including the right to a fair trial, regardless of religion or ethnicity. This means that Palestine must provide safeguards for Israelis, Israel must provide safeguards for Palestinians, and both must provide safeguards for vulnerable or marginalized groups such as children, women, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

• Respect and promote a tolerant environment for the free practice of all religious denominations, including the physical integrity of and access to religious buildings and spaces.

• Respect the freedom of opinion and expression for parliamentarians, journalists, artists and all other civilians and make sure that people can freely exercise these rights in a safe and respectful environment.

The EGP calls upon the EU, member states, and other European states to:

• Recognize and support politicians, individuals, and non-governmental actors, both in Israel and Palestine, striving for peacebuilding and the respect of international law and human rights.

• Recognize and condemn the gravity of the ongoing breaches of international, humanitarian, and human rights law and take action to prevent further breaches.

• Condemn all violations of international law, specifically violence against civilians, and Israel's indiscriminate attacks which have resulted in the killings of aid workers, medical staff, journalists, and a record number of UN staff.

• Call for accountability regarding the attacks on UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon.

• Call for accountability regarding Israel’s attacks on UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon, and all attacks on UN structures and humanitarian aid workers.

• Condemn the use of famine as a weapon of war.

• Increase humanitarian aid for Palestine by all means necessary and increase support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to end the increasingly dire famine and health conditions affecting Palestinian people, especially and urgently after the Knesset’s vote to ban UNRWA.

• Condemn the occupation of the Palestinian territories and, in line with Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, address the implementation of the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024, including the ICJ’s finding that Israel’s legislation and measures in East Jerusalem and the West Bank constitute a breach of Article 3 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which deals with racial segregation and apartheid.

• Support the work of the ICJ and the ICC. To this end, we call on all parties to abide by the relevant ICJ and ICC orders and decisions. We urge the EU to take all necessary steps to fully implement the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 and we call on the EU to ensure that Israel complies with the provisional measures under the ICJ orders (South Africa v. Israel).

• Call on Israel, Iran and all other actors in the region to refrain from violating the obligations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

• Condemn Israel’s use of collective punishment, including starvation and the deprivation of water and fuel, as weapons of war and obstruction of humanitarian aid.

• Unconditionally support the current investigations by the ICC to hold Israeli and Hamas leaders accountable for international crimes committed in the region.

• Demand full and independent investigations into all potential violations of international law by or within the territory of the ICC.

• Actively work to ensure that all parties responsible for violations of international law face justice through just and fair criminal proceedings, trials, and sentencing including humane detention.

• Ensure that the Palestinians’ right of return is facilitated.

• Recognize the right of Palestinian and Israeli people to self-determination.

• Recognize that the Palestinians’ right to self-determination encompasses all Palestinians, including those displaced and/or who are not in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and includes their right to establish a sovereign and independent Palestinian state, which must be recognized and welcomed by the United Nations.

• Call for a just political solution for a lasting peace, including the recognition of the State of Palestine, as an important step towards the two-state solution.

• Recognize that the right of return for Palestinian refugees who wish to live in peace with their neighbours, as well as the rights to restitution as set out in Article 11 of UN Resolution 194, should be implemented by the international community.

• Impose targeted economic and diplomatic sanctions on all actors implicated in war crimes, crimes against humanity, human rights abuses, or genocide. Such sanctions may include travel bans, asset freezes, and restrictions on financial transactions.

• Condemn the escalation of violence by settlers in the West Bank.

• Ensure Israel abides by Article 2 of the EU-Israel association agreement, respecting human rights and democratic principles, and establish a pathway to terminate the agreement if deemed necessary over concerns for human rights and democratic principles.

• Comply with the EU common position on arms exports (2008/944/CFSP) which establishes eight criteria for exporting arms outside the EU, and aims to prevent arms exports that contribute to aggression, forceful territorial claims, violation of international law and violation of human rights, and call on other countries to align with that position.

• Increase funding for political education about the conflict, antisemitism, and anti-Muslim racism, and strengthen youth exchange programmes between Europeans, Israelis, and Palestinians.

• Condemn antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes, in public and online.

• Condemn the criminalization and police violence against pro-Palestine protestors in Europe.

Furthermore, we call upon the Israeli government to:

• Facilitate humanitarian aid and supplies into Palestine and ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian actors.

• Reverse its recent ban on the UNRWA whose role is crucial and irreplaceable in alleviating human suffering in Gaza and providing vital services to millions of Palestinian refugees.

• End the sea and land blockade on Gaza immediately.

• Cease illegal settlements and return land to rightful Palestinian owners in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions 242, 252, and 446.

• Address the increase in settler violence and end the use of excessive force by the Israeli military in the West Bank, which have led to killings, injuries, displacement, and increased movement restrictions.

• Withdraw its forces to internationally recognized Israeli territory.

• Allow Palestinians and Israelis to move freely. Safety controls must not be used as a means of discrimination.

• Immediately release all Palestinians arbitrarily detained, particularly minors.

• Stop using administrative detention and ensure the right to a fair trial.

Finally, we call upon the international community to:

• Do everything in its power to de-escalate the conflict and prevent its further spread and to support independent civil society in Israel and Palestine that work on peacebuilding.

• Carry out full and independent investigations into all potential violations of international law.

• Hold those who break international law accountable and support the work of the ICC.

• Pressure all countries that are directly or indirectly involved, such as Israel, the USA, Iran, and Qatar to join the ICC.

• Comply with warrants issued by the ICC.

Conclusion

The European Green Party stands firm in its commitment to justice, peace, and the protection of human rights. We call for sustainable and long-term solutions to address the root causes of the situation, and we express our solidarity with all victims. The international community must act decisively to end the violence and support a just and lasting resolution.

Background

In the light of the latest developments in the Middle East and following the resolution adopted in the EGP Online Congress in 2023 and the resolution adopted at the FYEG General Assembly in 2024, the EGP Committee and FYEG propose this text as a basis to update the party’s position on the situation in the Middle East.

The EGP Committee and FYEG consider that based on previous experience, the EGP and its members parties have largely showed a spirit of compromise and understanding, even for sensitive topics such as this one. We hope that the clear balances and nuances found in this proposal can bring us together to continue advocating for peace in the region.