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Luisa MORGANTINI’s letter of protest
Thursday 21 October 2004
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Marc OTTE a donné un interview au Financial Times Deutschland, vendredi 8 Octobre. Sa prise de position partisane a choqué Luisa MORGANTINI qui, dans sa lettre d’interpellation, lui reproche ses propos “inapropriés”.
(Marc Otte,
I’m writing to you to respond to your public comment, in the interview to the Financial Times Deutchland last Friday the 8th of October, in which you take a clear stand on the “success of the Israeli wall in stopping Palestinian extremists from carrying out suicide attacks in Israel”.
What you define as a “successful barrier”, criticized by the International Court of Justice because it runs over Palestinian territory and not along the Green Line - the pre-1967 border, is, in fact, perceived by millions of Palestinians and by a large part of the international community as an “apartheid wall” affecting the daily survival of the Palestinian population as a whole, and can definitely be included in what you describe as “collective punishment”, together with the “unlawful killing of suspected terrorists and for the disproportionate use of violence and revenge acts from the Israeli side”, that you firmly criticize in your interview.
Beside making you the first high-level EU diplomat to publicly say that the barrier has fulfilled its aim, I believe your comment being highly inappropriate, especially taking into account the fundamental institutional role you have on the international framework.
The mandate of your appointment as the Special Representative for the Middle East peace process is based on the EU’s policy objectives regarding the Middle East peace process; namely, it includes a two-State solution with Israel and a democratic, viable, peaceful and sovereign Palestinian State living side-by-side within secure and recognized borders, enjoying normal relations with their neighbors, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 242, 338, 1397 and 1402 and the principles of the Madrid conference, which simply mean the end of the Israeli military occupation.
I sincerely believe that taking a clear stand in favor of what is dramatically harming the chances for the Palestinian people to undertake reform and build their State in a free, democratic and peaceful manner, can result into jeopardizing the peace process and, therefore, serving the interests of the opponents of democracy, both in Palestine and Israel.
Luisa Morgantini
President of the EP Development and Cooperation Committee
