Tiny Kox is the leader, the ra’is of my faction of the Socialist Party in the Dutch Senate. He spoke last week in the Assembly of the European Council in Straasburg, as a member of the Group of the Unified European Left. Also present was an observing delegation from Israel, who were none too happy with Kox’ speech, and mr. Abu Zayad from the Palestinian Legislative Council who probably was. It might be possible that there is a majority in the European Council to give the Palestinians an official oberser status. Tiny Kox suggested to invite the new Palestinian president as a guest speaker in the near future. I agree very much!
Here is his speech:

Mr KOX (Netherlands). – Mr President, to begin with, I want to say that it is good to see a Dutch man in the presidential chair. I wish you good luck with that.

I want to congratulate, on behalf of the Group of the Unified European Left, the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority on the successful presidential elections earlier this month. The Palestinians showed us their remarkable strength to overcome the great loss of President Yasser Arafat and to continue the way to a free Palestine, now under the leadership of President Abu Mazen.

The Palestinians deserve to know that this Assembly contributes as much as possible to the process of ending the illegal and inhumane occupation by Israel of the Palestinian territory – and as soon as possible after all these decades.

That brings me to this report, for which I want to thank the rapporteur. We agree with many of his remarks in the draft resolution, but we think that the resolution should have begun by mentioning the absolute necessity that this illegal and internationally condemned occupation has to end. The longer it lasts, the bigger the shame for Israel and the international community. Talking about peace without recognising the need to end the illegal occupation is impossible.

Talking about “terrorism” in respect only of the Palestinians and not using that word for the illegal and cruel acts of the Israeli Army and Government does not contribute, in my opinion, to the peace process. We should recognise the right of any people to resist an illegal occupation of their country.

If the resolution now asks the Palestinians to use only peaceful means of resistance, we also have to order Israel immediately to end its aggressive policy towards the people whom they are suppressing due to their illegal occupation of the Palestinian territory. Mr President, if we ask President Abbas to pursue democratic reforms, we should at least demand the same from the Israeli Government, which, until now, has seen its Palestinian inhabitants within Israeli borders as second-class citizens.

We hope that both the occupying Israelis and the occupied Palestinians are prepared to come to a cease-fire and to use peaceful means to end the occupation and to make a two-state solution possible. If the window of opportunity is now open, it is for the Israeli Government to use it instead of closing it, as it has done in the past. We fully agree with the report’s conclusion that Israel should withdraw its military and its settlers from Gaza, not unilaterally but in co-operation with the Palestinian Authority.

We also agree with the conclusion that Israel should accept the decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding the shameful wall that splits the Palestinians from their own occupied country.

The international community should put far more pressure on the Israeli Government to comply with all the resolutions of the United Nations and put pressure on the Government of the United States to end its unconditional support of the Sharon government and at last give peace a chance in the Middle East.

We should now give a clear signal to the Palestinian people that we are really with them in their resistance against an illegal occupation. We therefore agree with the proposal in the report to invite Palestinian and Israeli parliamentarians to come to this Assembly to discuss with us the possibilities for a peaceful and just solution of this conflict, which has such dangerous world-wide implications.

Finally, we would like to ask the presidency of this Assembly to invite President Abu Mazen to come and meet us in our next session in April. If we say that the window of opportunity is open, let us now open our doors for President Abbas, as we did this week for the Presidents of Ukraine and Georgia.

Palestine and Israel are eternal neighbours. That is a fact, and that eternal fact demands that both peoples live together peacefully if they want to survive. Let us help them to do so.