26/06/2025 Session
PACE has called on all parties in the broader war taking place in the Middle East to de-escalate and to respect international law, and recalled the need to spare civilians and minimise their suffering and casualties.
Approving a resolution based on a report by Ingjerd Schie Schou (Norway, EPP/CD), the Assembly said: “The solution to the multiple, deep-seated, long-standing conflicts and challenges affecting the Middle East cannot be achieved through military confrontation but through diplomacy and an inclusive political process.”
The parliamentarians urged all parties to refrain from jeopardising the recent fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran, while expressing their grave concern at the “destabilising activities” of Iran, which they said has “emerged as a direct threat to European security”.
As regards Gaza, the Assembly repeated its urgent appeal for the release of all hostages and an immediate and permanent ceasefire to stop “the relentless loss of civilian life” and to allow humanitarian relief to reach those in need. It condemned “any use of starvation of a civilian population as a method of warfare, the weaponisation of humanitarian aid and the unlawful denial of humanitarian access” as crimes under international law.
The parliamentarians said there must be “no unlawful transfer or forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, nor any attempt to alter the territory of the Gaza strip”, while affirming that sustainable peace in Gaza cannot be achieved as long as “Hamas and other groups designated as terrorist organisations maintain any governing or operational role”.
The Assembly reaffirmed its commitment to peace based on a two-state solution, and urged Council of Europe member and observer states to work with the UN and international courts to ensure international law is upheld.