Mr President,
Thank you for the important resolution on international justice, humanitarian law and human rights as foundations of lasting peace and security. International Law was established by sovereign states so that the rules would be the same for all of us and that all human rights violations should be properly and equally addressed.
That’s why it really is a shame, that we will not have a separate discussion on the situation in Palestine, as a severe humanitarian crisis persists in Gaza despite the fragile ceasefire. Israel has expanded its control to approximately 60 percent of the territory by pushing its security boundaries ever deeper into the enclave. Tensions have further escalated in the West Bank and East Jerusalem following Israel’s approval of the establishment of 13 new settlements.
Several international human rights organizations and the UN have also reported widespread mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. The latest news concern the collapsed health of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya abducted by Israel. He has been held without charge since December 2024 and has been many times badly beaten according to his lawyer. I call for an immediate release of him and all other arbitrarily detained Palestinian health workers.
Gaza’s health system has largely collapsed and is operating far beyond breaking point, with less than half of its original 36 hospitals remaining partially functional. We need to accelerate medical evacuations from Gaza. International health organizations estimate that between 15,000 and over 25,000 critically ill and injured patients are currently trapped and awaiting urgent treatment abroad. A good number of students and some professors in Gaza have been accepted to universities in Europe and Canada. We must adjust our visa-processes to allow them to arrive. This also concerns many Afghan female students, who cannot continue any studies in Afganistan, but have received confirmed university offers in the UK. Our visa brakes should not stop their way forward. However, many students from Gaza and Afganistan have been able to arrive in Europe lately. We should not give up on such support for young people.
Lisätiedot:
Inka Hopsu
inka.hopsu@eduskunta.fi
+358 40 758 9545
