Speech in the debate on the war in the Gaza Strip and the need to reach a ceasefire, including recent developments in the region
We have not one but two urgent needs. The European Union must not only arm Ukraine and rearm itself. It must also make its voice heard in the Middle East, where politically it counts for nothing even though economically it is everything – Israel’s biggest trading partner and the biggest donor of aid to Palestine.
Even though it is the most ardent defender of the two-state solution, it simply talks, without taking any decisive initiatives in favour of the peace.
Worse still, our passivity has led to a situation where we are accused of siding with the stronger, with Israel against Palestine.
Everything must lead the Union to take up the challenge of the only possible peace, that of the coexistence of two States.
As soon as the fog of war has lifted, we must seize the levers at our disposal: our agreements with Israel and our aid to the Palestinian Authority.
