The European Jewish Congress is shocked to learn that the Sub-Committee on the Middle East of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, presided by President Stef Goris and Vice-President Mikhail Margelov, has taken the initiative to invite delegates from Hamas to a Parliamentary Assembly meeting next week from April 10-13.
Hamas is a terrorist organization that has refused to recognize the existence of the State of Israel, preaches violence and has to this day not shown a willingness to take part in the peace process with Israel.
The President of the European Jewish Congress Pierre Besnainou declared,
“I am shocked that the Council of Europe, an organization committed to human rights created on the post-war ashes of the Holocaust, could deviate at this point from its fundamental principles by becoming the first European institution to welcome terrorists in a building dedicated to tolerance, dialogue, understanding and peace.”
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly Rene van der Liden must exercise his authority to demand the refusal of access to his building to those who have not yet renounced terrorism, recognized the right of Israel to exist within its secure borders and have yet to honour previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements of the past decade.
