Referring to the statement made by Mr Peter Stano, lead spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, published today 8 May, on the Israeli aggression on Palestinians in Jerusalem, Hamas states the following:

The statement comments on the “clashes” that took place last night at Al Aqsa Mosque and points out that “violence and incitement are unacceptable and the perpetrators on all sides must be held accountable.”

We totally and firmly reject this statement which treats Palestinians as part of the causes for this bloody reality. The European Union should have stood for justice and defended law, and have enough courage to tell the very clear truth that the world should have been watching every day for more than 70 years of occupation and suffering of the Palestinians.

Dealing with the Palestinians in the same way as the Israeli occupier is another form of injustice and bias that the world practices towards the just cause of Palestine. This leads to perpetuating the occupation and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territories. This is a negative neutrality that prevents the Palestinians from obtaining their right to build their independent state.

There are no “perpetrators on all sides”. It is only one side that is committing crimes against the defenceless Palestinians which is the Israeli occupation state and its settlers. EU should hold the occupation state responsibility and oblige it, sole reason of the escalation and aggression, to stop its colonial acts and annexation plans.

The Israeli occupation state has systematically persisted on violating UN resolutions and international humanitarian law over the past decades. It continues to occupy the Palestinian territories of Jerusalem and the West Bank. It refuses to withdraw from these Palestinian territories. The occupation state continues its illegal settlement, expulsion of Palestinians from their homes and destroying them in the occupied territories, expropriation of their land and property, torturing prisoners and the imposing the catastrophic siege on the Gaza Strip.

These Israeli policies and violations pose a threat to the international peace and security in the region general and in Palestine and the occupied territories in particular. The ongoing forced expulsion of Palestinian families in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah is an example on this. This will certainly lead to new escalation of tension and unfortunate losses of lives and rights of Palestinians.

We hope that Mr Stano would be credible and neutral when he deals with the situation on the ground. We invite him and all other European leaders to refer to the reports of international human rights organisations such as the UN High Commission for Human Rights, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), for better understanding to the root causes of the aggression committed against the defenceless Palestinians on daily basis.

Dr Basem Naim

Bureau of international Relations – Hamas

26 Ramadan 1442

8 May 2021