The European Parliament delegation strongly condemned Israel's occupation policy in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and expressed deep concern about the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She reiterated that respect for international law is essential for achieving peace in the Middle East and remains a fundamental priority for the EU.

According to a statement released last night, seven members of four political groups of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Palestine, headed by Vice-President Margrethe Okun (Danish Green Party - EFA/Denmark), concluded their visit last Friday official in Palestine (February 20-23, 2023).

The members who carried out the official visit strongly condemned the unilateral decision of the Israeli authorities to again ban entry into Palestine and the refusal of entry to the head of the delegation Manuel Pineda (Left/Spain) and the Member of the European Parliament Ana Miranda Paz (Greens-EFA/Spain) to enter Palestine and refuse access to the Gaza Strip to the entire delegation. They stressed that it is unacceptable for the Israeli authorities to try to block the work of the European Parliament.

The statement revealed that the main objective of the mission's visit was to examine the political, social and human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and to engage with political actors and civil society organizations.

Members of the delegation recalled that the settlements were illegal under international law and that Colonization and annexation must be halted and reversed in order to achieve a two-state solution and a viable Palestinian state.

The delegation counted 7 members: Margrete Auken, César Luena, Nicolás Gonzales Casares, Salima Yenbou, Grace O’Sullivan, Marc Botenga, João Pimenta Lopes.