Following the statement by Federica Mogherini, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security, on the situation in Israel and Palestine in the European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg, the president of the S&D Group, Gianni Pittella, stated:
"The violence in Israel and Palestine is cyclical. The reasons are long-standing and always the same: the inability to tackle the root causes of the problems.
"The occupation of Palestine is completely unacceptable – but so is the climate of terror in which Israelis are condemned to live. We must always remember that the young Palestinians joining the new intifada belong to the Oslo generation who have been betrayed time and time again by empty promises. The only option is a two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living together in peace and security with the recognised 1967 borders. In this regard, Europe should play an important role, as the main donor to Palestine and the main trading partner for Israel.
"Europe, Palestine and Israel all face a common enemy, violent extremist; be they in the form of Daesh or those who spread hate speech. That is why the efforts of Federica Mogherini must be fully supported and reinforced by all national governments. We reiterate the need to combat the real enemies of the peace process – extremists on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides – in order to avoid losing yet another generation."
