EU MUST SUSPEND ISRAEL TRADE DEAL ON HUMAN RIGHTS GROUNDS’

EURO-MP SPEAKS AT PORTSMOUTH PALESTINE MEETING

‘EU MUST SUSPEND ISRAEL TRADE DEAL ON HUMAN RIGHTS GROUNDS’


Event: Euro-MP speaks on role of EU in bringing peace to
Palestine
Place: Menuhin Theatre, Central Library, Guildhall Square,
Portsmouth
Time: Friday, December 1st, 7pm


THE EU has a key role to play in bringing peace to the Middle East and a
resolution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Green Party Euro-MP
Caroline Lucas will tell a Portsmouth meeting on Friday.

It should suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement – which gives Israel
preferential access to EU markets – until Israel ceases all violations of
Palestinians’ human rights, she will tell the meeting, which is entitled:
‘The European Union: its potential role in a just resolution of the
Arab-Israeli conflict and how we can get the EU to act’.

Dr Lucas, who is a member of the European Parliament’s delegation to the
occupied Palestinian territories and a former EU election observer in Gaza,
said: “Though a fragile ceasefire is now in place between Israel and the
Palestinians of Gaza, Israel continues to hold hundreds of Palestinians as
political prisoners and preside over an occupation which leads to
state-sponsored terrorism and systemic human rights abuses against
Palestinians.

“Peace will only come to the region when both sides abide fully with
international law: respecting the human rights of everyone in the region,
releasing political prisoners, ceasing attacks on civilians and
infrastructure and abandoning unlawful nuclear weaponry.

“The EU has a mechanism for putting pressure on Israel to do this – though
the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which contains a clause allowing the
treaty to be suspended on human rights grounds. It is now up to EU leaders
and the European Commission to make this happen and act to bring peace and
justice to the troubled region.”

The Green Party Euro-MP for South East England, who is also co-founder and
co-president of the European Parliament’s cross-party Peace Initiatives
Intergroup and a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s
decision-making council, will make her comments at the Portsmouth Central
Library meeting this Friday, which has been organised by the Portsmouth
Network for a Just Settlement of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.

ENDS
Editors’ Note

The Portsmouth Network for a Just Settlement of
The Arab-Israeli Conflict has been established to:

· promote a deeper understanding of the conflict
· explore the options for a just settlement and ways to nurture the
reconciliation needed for a lasting peace
· encourage political action by people in Portsmouth and the
surrounding area to promote lasting peace through a just settlement of the
conflict.


For more information please contact Ben on 01273 671946, 07973 823358 or
ben@greenmeps.org.uk

www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk



Ben Duncan
Media Officer to Caroline Lucas MEP
benduncan@greenmeps.org.uk
01273 671946 (office)
07973 823358 (mobile)