High Representative Federica Mogherini 15 April 2015
European Commission
Honourable High Representative,
We are writing to support the letter written to you by a group of 58 MEPs, dated 13th April, urging you to use your influence to secure the release of Khalida Jarrar and the other sixteen members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, who have been detained by Israel.
To quote parts of the MEPs’ letter:
“The arrest of Jarrar and other Members of the Palestinian Parliament and their transfer from occupied territory into Israel are not only in violation of Articles 49 and 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention but also blatantly violate international conventions and practices regarding the immunity of elected officials.” “Palestinian parliamentarians are frequently held in administrative detention without charge or trial, or tried in military courts that are mechanisms to produce a political result and in no way meet standards for a fair trial.”
“ Jarrar is… a member of the Palestinian national follow-up commission for the International Criminal Court. (Her) arrest is a clearly political attempt to undermine Palestinian leadership and thwart Palestinian attempts to pursue justice in the International Criminal Court.”
Their letter concludes: “We urge you to use your position to garner support among institutions of the EU and its Member States and work to persuade them to take meaningful action to place significant pressure on Israel to ensure the release of Jarrar…”
We concur with this request. Strong action by the Commission now will send a message to the new Israeli government that the European Commission will cease doing business as usual with Israel while it continues to act as if it is above the law. That message badly needs to be sent, and if necessary followed up with further significant measures.
Yours sincerely,
EJJP Lobby Group
Dror Feiler, Judar för Israelisk-Palestinsk Fred, Stockholm
Arthur Goodman, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, London
Shir Hever, Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost, Berlin
Adi Raz, Union des Progressistes Juifs de Belgique, Brussels
Max Weiselmann, Een Ander Joods Geluid, The Netherlands