JEF Europe’s Position on the Future of the Israeli–Palestinian Peace Process

14 April 2024

Resolution submitted by: JEF Political Commission 3 – External Affairs and Global Governance

Adopted by the European Federal Committee in Tartu, Estonia on 14 April 2024.

JEF Europe,

  • Guided by the principles of democracy, peace, rule of law and human rights and the goal of a more peaceful, just and sustainable global order, fundamental to federalism and JEF Europe;
  • Maintaining, in reference to JEF Europe’s Political Platform 3.5.1., that a common European foreign policy and all external action must be based on the respect for universal human rights, the promotion of peace and prosperity and combating the advancement of climate change;
  • Reaffirming its commitment to federalism and the belief that the sovereignty, liberty, rights, safety and dignity of people do not result
    and, evidently, have not resulted intrinsically from the independence of nation-states;
  • Strongly believing in and pushing for the fulfilment and realisation of the equal and inalienable human rights to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, as laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
  • Strongly believing that mutual security is dependent on the provision of mutual dignity;
  • Affirming that under international law codified in Article 51 of the United Nations (UN) Charter every state has the right of inherent self-defence against an armed attack, with the measures being required to be immediately reported to the UN Security Council, until the responsibility and authority of maintaining and restoring international peace and security are taken by the Security Council with the necessary measures;
  • Also affirming that under international law based on Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions and detailed in UN General Assembly resolutions 2625 and, especially, 38/17 on the Right of peoples to self-determination, every people has a right to resist if subjected to alien subjugation, domination and occupation;
  • Affirmatively adding that for no reason should armed action violate international law, international humanitarian law and human rights, and that nothing can justify the massacre of civilians;
  • Affirming the importance of upholding humanitarian principles, including the protection of civilians, the prohibition of using human shields and access to humanitarian assistance, in accordance with international humanitarian law;
  • Understanding that arbitrary violence breeds violence, hatred more hatred, terror vengeance and historical catastrophes, injustices and traumas generational spite and prejudice and, therefore, stressing that those cycles need to be broken through and, ultimately, overcome in order to move forward towards ensuring lasting peace;
  • Recognising the history of the current violence in Israel-Palestine, rooted in decades of geopolitical tensions, colonial legacies, displaced populations, several wars, ideological conflicts and militancy, continuing military occupation, anti-Semitism, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism, segregation, repeated terrorist attacks, continuous low-intensity war and breaches of ceasefire, such as rocket attacks, high levels of trauma, incomplete fulfilment of treaties per international law, civil hostilities and violence as well as lasting structural, economic and legal inequality of conditions and opportunities for its inhabitants;
  • Appalled by the 7th October attacks executed by Hamas, designated by the European Union as a terrorist group, and several other militants, which caused 1,200 deaths – the most fatal attack against Israel in its history – and where some 250 people were taken hostage and most of them are still not freed;
  • Appalled by the 30,000 deaths, including 14,000 children, caused by the ongoing attacks on the Gaza strip (as per the end of March 2024), making this war, with regards to its duration, the deadliest armed conflict in modern times;
  • Appalled by the sheer dimension of the destruction with some 80% of Gaza’s infrastructure having been destroyed or severely damaged;
  • Appalled by the use of sexual violence as a broader pattern of gender-based violence, e.g. during the 7th October attacks as well as in general;
  • Sincerely empathising with the shock and sorrow the brutality and vastness of the 7th October attacks on civilians caused in Israel and in Jewish and Israeli communities, which experience a wave of anti-Semitism, leading to them living in fear and being targeted and hurt for their national and religious identities and putting existential threats towards them;
  • Deeply concerned by the escalation of the crisis after the Israeli military offensive and reoccupation of the majority of Gaza that carries a severe humanitarian cost and further reduces the prospects of building a lasting and sustainable peace, with deep repercussions regionally and globally;
  • Noting with horror the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, already intensified by factors such as poverty, unemployment, restrictions of movement and limited access to vital services, disastrously being exacerbated by the military operation and the restriction of aid being allowed in Gaza by the Israeli government;
  • Appalled by the perspective of imminent man-made famine and starvation throughout large parts of the Gaza strip due to the impossibility of food and other basic goods being delivered given the blockade thereof or their slow and insufficient supplies;
  • Acknowledging the January 26, 2024 Order issued by the International Court of Justice in the South Africa v. Israel case (Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip) where the Court found “that at least some of the rights claimed by South Africa and for which it is seeking protection are plausible” and that the Palestinians in Gaza must be protected from acts of genocide;
  • Deeply concerned by the European lack of a unified response regarding the Israel-Hamas war which has severely undermined Europe’s claim to protect human rights and be a reliable mediator and partner in the future;
  • Strongly condemning the ongoing abduction by Hamas and other militants of over a hundred Israeli citizens, who are enduring malnourishment, confinement in underground tunnels and sexual abuse, while also being denied access to vital medicine;
  • Asserting that national security and safety can never justify calls for ethnic cleansing, population removal, antagonising whole peoples and genocidal rhetoric now heard among far-right leaders in Israel, and among Hamas, that are gaining more traction;
  • Condemning the rise of ethnic hostilities, defamation and hate, including anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim and anti-Arab actions across the world, offline and online;
  • Expressing concern over the proliferation of illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, which undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution and exacerbate tensions on the ground as they are often accompanied by violence and covered by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF);
  • Expressing concern over the state of democracy in both countries, exemplified by democratic backsliding in Israel, the status of civil rights in the occupied territories under direct military control (Area C), and the political stagnation and the incomplete fulfilment of civil rights in the Palestinian Authority; further calling for free elections between non-militarised parties in Palestine, once the cessation of hostilities allows for it, and for the effective respect of the rule of law for all citizens, political movements and institutions;
  • Emphasising the role of civil society organisations, including youth-led initiatives, in promoting dialogue, reconciliation and peace-building between Israelis and Palestinians;
  • Acknowledging the dependence of the Palestinian Authority on the European Union in providing decent livelihood, education and security in the occupied Palestinian territories;
  • Expressing solidarity with Palestinian refugees and their descendants, whose rights must be well considered as part of any comprehensive peace settlement;
  • Expressing solidarity with the internally displaced Israeli civilians;
  • Acknowledging the contributions of previous peace initiatives and negotiations, while recognising the impasses, conflicting political
    interests, developing situation, unfulfilled and dishonoured agreements and the need for renewed and sustained multilateral efforts to advance a just and comprehensive resolution to the crisis;
  • Acknowledging the ongoing discussions within JEF Europe regarding the Israel–Palestine crisis, including the perspectives shared by members during the meetings organised in the end of 2023;

JEF Europe therefore,

  1. Calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the cessation of violence, the immediate release of all hostages and bodies held in Gaza and the unhindered resumption of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, in line with the Resolution 2728/2024 of the United Nations Security Council;
  1. Calls for the prosecution of those responsible for the 7th October attacks in national or international courts, for the disarmament of illegally armed groups and for the consolidation of a legitimate Palestinian government on the basis of a revitalised Palestinian Authority whose capabilities to fulfil its legally mandated functions are ensured;
  1. Calls for the respect of the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice and all future decisions in the South Africa v. Israel case;
  1. Notes that UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) remains the only viable humanitarian actor in the Gaza strip and should not be preemptively and unilaterally defunded in order to prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian catastrophe [cf. collective punishment]; at the same time calls for a thorough investigation of UNRWA regarding the alleged involvement of staff in terror organisations and the presumed promotion of violence against Israelis and Jews in UNRWA schools;
  1. Advocates for the safety and security of all individuals and communities involved;
  1. Firmly condemns the terrible and continuing attacks against civilians in the Gaza Strip by Israeli military, in particular attacks causing huge civilian casualties, including on targets within refugee camps, medical facilities, ambulances, schools, places of worship, civilian housing and other infrastructure; at the same time calls for investigation and prosecution of any possible breaches of the Geneva Conventions;
  1. Condemns inhumane treatment of prisoners and detainees within Israeli prisons and temporary detention facilities within and outside the Gaza strip;
  1. Firmly condemns Hamas use of human shield and using protected locations such as refugee camps, hospitals, and places of worship as an advantage to their own military position;
  1. Strongly asserts that even when considering the practice of using civilian shields for military positions by Hamas, it does not discharge the IDF from taking all necessary precautions to limit civilian fatalities;
  1. Maintains that it must be guaranteed that aid from the European Union will not be used to fund military action contravening international law;
  1. Maintains that no person shall be condemned for actions they are not responsible of, irrespective of their nationality, ethnicity, culture or religion;
  1. Maintains that not every Palestinian supports Hamas’ actions while not every Israeli is in support of their government’s warfare;
  1. Calls for commitment and decisive action for maintaining the rule of law, promoting inclusion and anti-discrimination, countering disinformation, misinformation, malinformation and hate speech whilst protecting the freedom of expression in Europe and globally;
  1. Calls on the European Union to lead an international effort for the reconstruction of the war zone and securing the well-being of civilians suffering from war;
  1. Calls on Israel to fully commit to combating settler violence and protecting the safety and livelihoods of Palestinians in the occupied
    territories, with the goal of dismantling settlements in the occupied territories, which are illegal under international law;
  1. Condemns any unilateral divergences from the international legal peace framework that do not include the participation of both Palestinian and Israeli citizens;
  1. Strongly supports any initiative aimed at involving the population in self-determining their future, including innovative and non-conventional ideas such as a binational confederation or a federation of Israel-Palestine with a robust constitution ensuring the balance of powers, respect for national identity and self-determination and the principle of rule of law and subsidiarity in governance;
  1. Maintains that sustainable peace can only be achieved when both nations’ right to exist is respected;
  1. Encourages and supports the existence and creation of youth initiatives capable of promoting dialogue and mutual understanding between Palestinian and Israeli youth;
  1. Calls for a more appropriate and less polarised and one-sided approach in European public debate, political speeches and press coverage;
  1. Urges the EU Institutions to adopt diplomatic action in line with the mentioned values and statements:
  • starting with the calling for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages held in Gaza;
  • playing a role in ensuring reconstruction and peace-keeping after the ceasefire, and a thorough social process serving for de-escalation, justice, inclusion, truth, reconciliation and conflict transformation;
  • and finally working towards building a multilateral framework with the goal of starting a new peace process in the region, respecting people’s equal rights to life, self-determination, safety, all human rights and their equal standing before the law.