----- by LUISA MORGANTINI , Vice President of the European Parliament

"Israel IS NOT ABOVE THE LAW"

The European Parliament suspends the vote on the upgrade of EU -

Israel relations

The European Parliament (EP) today postponed the vote on the

proposal by the EU Commission and Council for the draft recommendation

to conclude a Protocol to the EU-Israel Association Agreement and on the

general principles governing the State of Israel's participation in

Community programmes . The vote was originally scheduled for tomorrow,

Thursday, December 4, in the EP in Brussels.

This vote would have been an important step in the process of

upgrading EU-Israel relations, which was requested by the Israeli

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tzipi Livni, during her hearing in the EP

Committee on Foreign Affairs, within the framework of the Protocol for

the Association Agreement between EU and Israel. However, the European

Parliament voted differently : the majority of parliamentarians

called for a postponement of the vote to another date yet to be

determined, as requested by the GUE/NGL and Greens groups, with

agreement from the Socialist Party, some of the Liberals (ALDE) and

some MEPs from the Popular Party.

"It's time for the Israeli Government to stop considering

itself above the law and start respecting it, beginning by freezing

all settlement -building activities and ending its siege on the Gaza

Strip. Until the Israeli Government signals its willingness to abide by

international law and especially human rights and humanitarian law, the

European Parliament is not disposed to vote," declared Luisa Morgantini,

Vice President of the European Parliament.

"Today's vote is an important political message, directed not

against Israel, but at pushing the Israeli leadership to respect their

obligations in order to achieve tangible results from the

Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, so that they can reach a peaceful

solution and the security of the two peoples. It is also a signal to

the EU Council and Commission, that they must put pressure on Israel to

stop its colonization of the 1967 Occupied Palestinian Territory.

But this vote is also a sign of hope for the Palestinians,

telling them that the European Parliament is not deaf to the suffering

of people in Gaza and the West Bank, and that the EP is not only

determined to verbally criticize the situation but to take concrete

action for the respect of human rights and international law.

It is also an answer to PM Salam Fayyad, who launched an appeal

to the EU to not upgrade its relations with Israel since after

Annapolis there have not been improvements, neither in lifting the

closures on Palestinian areas nor freezing settlements; it is also an

answer to Palestinian civil society and to the NGOs that have sent many

letters to European Parliamentarians.

Finally this vote is positive for us Europeans, who are showing

to ourselves and to the entire world that respect for human rights and

the achievement of justice are not an abstract declaration of

principles," concluded Luisa Morgantini.

INFO : www.luisamorgantini.net