"I have no more words to express my indignation for the repeated and unpunished violations of the legality by the Israeli government. But it seems that the European Union is speechless either, since it hasn't condemned yet the imprisonment, that took place on Friday 7 July, of Mr Hassan Khreshi, Vice President of the Political Committee on Security and Human Rights of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliament Assembly (EMPA), of which I am member as well" declared Luisa Morgantini (GUE/NGL).

"What more Israel has to do, which other violation Israel has to commit, how many other murders of civil victims have to be completed before the EU firmly orders to Israel to respect the international law and the human rights?"

The imprisonment of Mr Hassan Khreshi, former speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Member since 1996, and Palestinian representative to the EMPA and to the Parliamentary Assembly of the NATO, which took place in the crossing of the Allenby bridge, between Jordan and Palestine, while he was coming back from a work meeting, "is a new episode of arrogance and impunity of Israel - Morgantini continues - . Khreshi is not member of any Palestinian political party, he is an independent. In the Political Committee we all had the pleasure to appreciate his availability and openness to dialogue.

"The non-right Israel used to arrest him is part of a real war strategy against the Palestinian National Authority and its Parliamentary Institutions, elected in a democratic way, under the control of many international observers, even from Europe.

"Until this moment 64 Members of the Palestinian Parliament and 8 Ministers of the PNA have been illegitimately kidnapped by the Israeli Government, which hasn't stopped itself even in front of the condemnation voices of the international and European institutions, even if they have been very weak.

"The European Union, with the weakness of her position towards this evident violation of the international legality, becomes accomplice of this clear and without precedents injustice.

"I believe it is not only necessary but even urgent that Brussels strongly demand to Israel, member of the EMPA, and partner of the EU in the Barcelona Process, to immediately release Mr Hassan Khreshi, and all other representatives of the Palestinian Legislative Council, imprisoned and deported in Israel, and to stop the siege against the civil population of Gaza and all the occupied territory".

Luisa Morgantini, Chair of the Development Committee of the European Parliament and Member of the Political Committee of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliament Assembly