CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
Ladies and gentlemen,
In last week's elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council, we witnessed a landslide victory for Hamas and the candidates of the Hamas platform. While all observers were positive in their appraisal of the way in which the elections were conducted, the result raises many questions not only for us and the international community, but also for the Palestinian people and for the region as a whole.
The Presidency, along with several colleagues from other Member States, reacted immediately, and the essence of their comments is the same. I would refer in particular to the statements of the Middle East Quartet of 26 and 30 January, which make it clear that the international community continues to regard the principle of non-violence, the recognition of Israel's right to exist and the fulfilment of all existing mutual obligations as prerequisites for a lasting and peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Quartet expects a future Palestinian government to adhere unequivocally to those principles, and stresses that respect for them will also constitute a key factor in international support for the new Palestinian Authority. Israel and the Palestinian Authority are reminded once again of their respective obligations under the Roadmap.
Similarly, the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 30 January stated that the Council expects the newly elected Palestinian Legislative Council to support the formation of a government committed to the following principles:
On this basis, the European Union stands ready to continue to support Palestinian economic development and democratic state-building.
Re East Jerusalem:
The EU is also concerned about Israeli activities in and around East Jerusalem, including ongoing settlement building, the continuing construction of the separation barrier and the demolition of Palestinian homes. Such activities are contrary to international law, jeopardise the reaching of a final settlement agreement on Jerusalem and threaten to make any solution based on the coexistence of two viable states physically impossible. With that in mind, the Council instructed the competent Council bodies to conduct a detailed EU analysis of East Jerusalem, based on contributions from EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah.
In view of the changed situation, in particular prior to the forthcoming elections to the Knesset in Israel, on 12 December the Council decided to confront the Israeli government with the EU's concerns regarding this matter at a high level, rather than publishing the analysis.
In the meantime, two demarches have been made: an EU troika demarche to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 19 December 2005 and a Presidency demarche to the main Israeli parties on 23 December 2005.
The EU welcomes Israel's decision to allow a partial vote in East Jerusalem and thereby help to ensure the successful holding of elections.
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