On Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel, the need for de-escalation and an EU response

B90239/2024

European Parliament resolution on Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel, the need for de-escalation and an EU response

(2024/2704(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Charter of the United Nations,

– having regard to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran,

– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,

– having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015) on Iran Nuclear Issue,

– having regard to the reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Israel and Palestine, in particular that of 14 December 2022 on the prospects of the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine,

− having regard to the statements of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the situation in Palestine/Israel and on Iran,

– having regard to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the additional protocols thereto,

– having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947 on the partition of Palestine,

– having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 194 (III) of 11 December 1948 on the principles for reaching a final settlement and the returning of Palestine refugees to their homes,

– having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) of 8 December 1949 on assistance to Palestine refugees,

– having regard to subsequent UN resolutions on the situation in Palestine/Israel,

– having regard to the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,

– having regard to the UN General Assembly Resolution of 12 December 2023 on Gaza entitled ‘Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations’,

– having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 2728 (2024) on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,

– having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court of 1998,

– having regard to the statements of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967,

– having regard to the Oslo Accords between the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization of 1993 and 1995,

– having regard to the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement of 2000 establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, in particular Article 2 thereof,

– having regard to the statement of the UN Secretary-General of 9 October 2023 appealing for an end to ‘the vicious cycle of bloodshed, hatred and polarisation’, and to his further statements regarding the catastrophic situation for civilians in Gaza,

– having regard to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Order of 26 January 2024 on the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel),

– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas on 1 April 2024, Israel attacked the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing at least 13 people, including two generals from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); whereas on Saturday 13 April 2024, Iran attacked Israeli territory with a barrage of 300 missiles and drones, targeting Israeli bases in retaliation to the Israeli strike from the Golan Heights; whereas Iran’s massive aerial attack marks the first direct strike by Iran on Israeli territory from Iranian soil; whereas Israel retaliated with an attack on Iranian soil on 19 April 2024, targeting Iranian bases;

B. whereas these attacks pose a major threat to security in the region as a whole; whereas they also have implications for peaceful coexistence within other countries, including EU Member States;

C. whereas retaliation is not a lawful basis for a state’s use of armed force; whereas international law permits a state to use force against another state only when necessary to defend against an imminent, actual or ongoing unlawful armed attack, or pursuant to a UN Security Council resolution;

D. whereas any attack on diplomatic and consular premises violates the Charter of the United Nations as well as the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations;

E. whereas following Hamas’ attack of 7 October 2023, in which 1 200 Israeli citizens and citizens of other states were killed, and with Hamas still holding hostages captive for more than six months, the Israeli army has been conducting a war of occupation, defined as ‘plausible genocide’ by the ICJ, with bombardments from the air, sea and land on the Gaza Strip, one of the world’s most densely populated areas; whereas the war has killed over 34 000 Palestinians, 70 % of whom are women and children; whereas about 85 % of the 2.2 million people who make up the population of Gaza have been displaced and have no access to basic services, healthcare, water, food and electricity; whereas more than 90 journalists and media workers and at least 224 humanitarian workers have been killed; whereas the ICJ ordered preventive measures after South Africa levelled accusations of genocide against Israel;

F. whereas according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), Israel and Hezbollah, and other armed groups in Lebanon, exchanged at least 4 733 cross-border attacks between 7 October 2023 and 15 March 2024; whereas Israel conducted around 83 % of these attacks, totalling 3 952 incidents and resulting in the destruction of villages and the displacement of over 100 000 people in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah and other armed groups were responsible for 781 attacks;

G. whereas Iran provides financial, material and ideological support to militias in the whole region;

H. whereas according to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has been continuously enriching and stockpiling uranium, some of it to near weapons-grade levels, while hindering the work of the aforementioned agency within the country;

I. whereas it is widely known that Israel is the only country in the region in possession of nuclear weapons, and that it has declined to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT);

J. whereas Iran has repeatedly seized ships in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital logistical choke points;

K. whereas Iranian oil exports have hit a six-year high, amounting to an estimated revenue of USD 35 billion, thus successfully bypassing existing sanctions regimes;

L. whereas Iran is maintaining its political, religious and sexual repression against the civil society and opposition in its own country;

M. whereas Israel’s repression of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and of Palestinian and Jewish Israeli citizens, including members of the Knesset, opposing the war or even calling for a ceasefire has escalated significantly since 7 October 2023;

N. whereas the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), backed by the US, the UK, France, Jordan and other allies, confirmed that during the attack of 13 April 2024, 99 % of the missiles and drones were shot down, and that the few that made it through caused life-threatening injuries to a 7-year-old Israeli Bedouin girl and damage to unprotected Bedouin villages in Israel;

O. whereas Iraqi, Turkish and Jordanian officials declared that Iran had provided early warning days before the attack, including some details; whereas that information was passed on to the US, providing important details for the US and Israeli defence plans;

1. Expresses its deep concern about the risk of an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and reiterates the UN Secretary-General’s call to all parties to exercise maximum restraint in order to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East;

2. Calls for the EU and its Member States to actively dissuade Israel and Iran from carrying out further acts of retaliation that could escalate the regional conflicts, to condemn all declarations and acts that put the stability of the region in jeopardy and to prevent the escalation of the conflict by all means;

3. Urgently calls for the UN Security Council, the EU and its Member States to take immediate action to de-escalate and avert a large-scale conflict in the region; notes, with deep concern, the statements by Israeli and Iranian officials threatening the use of force, including potential attacks against nuclear facilities; maintains that the only way forward is through careful and painstaking diplomacy and political pressure via the appropriate, established and recognised diplomatic channels, especially under the auspices of the UN;

4. Condemns the unprecedented Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on 1 April 2024; condemns, furthermore, Iran’s massive aerial retaliation of Saturday 13 April 2024, which marks the first direct strike by Iran on Israeli territory, targeting Israeli bases; condemns Israel’s attacks of 19 April 2024 on Iranian soil; highlights that these attacks violate international law and have brought the entire Middle East to a new level of escalation, threatening stability in the region and beyond;

5. Stresses that retaliation is not a lawful basis for a state’s use of armed force and that the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases and circumstances, in accordance with international law;

6. Condemns all declarations and acts from all sides that increase the risk of a regional escalation of the conflict, including threats by the Israeli Government of an attack and ground operation in Rafah and of waging war against Lebanon; strongly rejects any hypothesis of an Israeli IDF attack and ground operation in Rafah, which would lead to a further humanitarian catastrophe;

7. Reiterates its call for an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip; calls for the unconditional release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners;

8. Calls on Israel to put an end to what has been defined as ‘plausible genocide’ in the Gaza Strip by fully complying with and implementing the ICJ order and the UN resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza;

9. Calls for the EU and its Member States to immediately halt all transfers of arms and military technology to Israel, Iran and all other parties to the conflict, in accordance with Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP; notes that, to date, while there is an EU ban on the sale of weapons to Iran, no restrictions have been imposed on the export of arms and military technology to Israel; deplores the use of a double standard by the EU institutions, which only impose sanctions against Iran, and none against Israel;

10. Calls for the immediate suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement until Israel puts an end to the attacks on the Gaza Strip and the systematic violations of the human rights of the Palestinian population, and also as a consequence of the non-implementation of the ICJ order, the repeated violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s non-compliance with the relevant UN resolutions on Palestine;

11. Expresses its deep concern about the risk of an escalation of the conflict; stresses that the unilateral involvement of major international and regional actors over the years has contributed to the destabilisation of the Middle East and North Africa region, in particular with illegal wars and the fomenting of sectarian conflicts, as occurred in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen; unequivocally rejects any intention or measure to carry out any external military intervention in the area;

12. Highlights that only a diplomatic and political solution can guarantee the security of all the people of the Middle East region; stresses the need to achieve a lasting and fair peace in the region in line with international law; calls for the EU to make this a principle in its foreign policy towards the Middle East;

13. Reiterates the urgent need to put an end to the occupation and to solve the Israeli-Palestinian question, as a crucial step in establishing security and peace in the region; highlights that such a solution must include the recognition of the right of return for all Palestinian refugees and of full respect for human rights; underlines that this can only happen by putting an end to the occupation and relaunching the peace process under the protection of the international community; recalls the EU’s long-standing support for a negotiated two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders with two sovereign, democratic states living side by side in peace and guaranteed security and in full respect of international law; calls, therefore, for the EU and the Member States to recognise the State of Palestine with the 1967 borders and its capital in East Jerusalem, and to respect the right of return of Palestinian refugees, as defined in UN resolutions; calls for the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied territories, including from all illegal settlements;

14. Stresses that diplomacy and restoring the full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is still the best option for preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and for preserving the nuclear non-proliferation agreement; underlines that the JCPOA is instrumental to the security of the whole region and remains in the interest of the EU, its Member States and the countries in the broader Middle East region;

15. Condemns the massive nationwide crackdowns by the Iranian authorities on women who violate the outrageous hijab law, and expresses its solidarity with the people of Iran, who are suffering under the murderous mullah regime;

16. Condemns the ongoing repression and killing of Palestinians in the West Bank carried out by the IDF and settlers, and the apartheid system to which Palestinians are victims under Israeli occupation, as well as the repression against Palestinian and Jewish Israeli citizens, including members of the Knesset, opposing the war or even calling for a ceasefire;

17. Welcomes the demonstrations by thousands of people around the world against the war, calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip; is extremely concerned over the decision of some governments in the EU to limit the right to demonstrate and to criminalise solidarity with the Palestinian people; underlines that banning peaceful gatherings and political meetings and criminalising activists and political leaders calling for a ceasefire are violations of the freedoms of expression and assembly, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; expresses its full solidarity with French-Palestinian lawyer and candidate for the European elections, Rima Hassan, who has been the victim of an odious campaign of slander, insults and threats, including an attempt of lawfare intended to silence, intimidate and criminalise all those who speak out against the ongoing massacres in the Gaza Strip;

18. Calls for the EU to increase its efforts towards global decarbonisation, mediated through climate diplomacy and finance, as fossil fuels are the main driver of the climate crisis and are closely linked to numerous wars and militarisation;

19. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Governments and Parliaments of Israel and Iran, the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European External Action Service.