Fulfilling and respecting the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination

Motion for a recommendation | Doc. 16340 | 05 February 2026

Signatories:

Ms Saskia KLUIT, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Kolbrún Áslaugar BALDURSDÓTTIR, Iceland, SOC ; Mr Patrick CASEY, Ireland, ALDE ; Ms Sevilay ÇELENK, Türkiye, UEL ; Ms Sena Nur ÇELİK KANAT, Türkiye, NR ; Ms Cat ECCLES, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Edite ESTRELA, Portugal, SOC ; Ms Aurora FLORIDIA, Italy, SOC ; Mr Paul GALLES, Luxembourg, EPP/CD ; Ms Meryem GÖKA, Türkiye, NR ; Ms Gökçe GÖKÇEN, Türkiye, SOC ; Ms Seda GÖREN, Türkiye, NR ; Ms Bisera KOSTADINOVSKA-STOJCHEVSKA, North Macedonia, SOC ; Mr Christophe LACROIX, Belgium, SOC ; Mr George LOUCAIDES, Cyprus, UEL ; Mr Saša MAGAZINOVIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, SOC ; Ms Luz MARTINEZ SEIJO, Spain, SOC ; Mr Fabian MOLINA, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Carla MOONEN, Netherlands, ALDE ; Ms Wanda NOWICKA, Poland, SOC ; Ms Kate OSAMOR, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Valérie PILLER CARRARD, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Daan ROOVERS, Netherlands, SOC ; Mr Sevan SIVACIOĞLU, Türkiye, NR ; Mr Namık TAN, Türkiye, SOC ; Ms Susanna VELA, Andorra, SOC

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

Under the United Nations Charter, all people have the right to self-determination. The recognition of a Palestinian State is strongly rooted in international law and UN resolutions. The boundaries of a (future) Palestinian State are recognised. Israel should, under United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, withdraw from the territories now known as Palestinian territories. This has been reiterated by the International Court of Justice in June 2024. Most States support the two-State solution but are hesitant to undertake actions to create the necessary preconditions.

Therefore, illegal occupation by Israel continues, even expands, resulting in immense injustices. More than 72 000 Palestinians died in Gaza, on top of which approximately 200 000 people lost their live due to inhumane living conditions. Palestinians on the West Bank are regularly attacked by settlers: approximately 10 000 people were already hurt and tens of thousands had to seek refuge. Systems of apartheid are being fortified, rather than lifted.

At the same time international talks about the future of the Palestinian territories are mostly conducted by third parties with Palestinians increasingly losing control over their own destiny.

As one of the most suppressed peoples in the world, undergoing ongoing acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing by Israel, Palestinian citizens deserve stronger support from the Council of Europe. For a just and lasting peace, it is important that the right to self-determination of Palestinians is more strongly emphasised and respected.

The Council of Europe member States have an important role to play. The Parliamentary Assembly must urgently identify the concrete steps to fulfil the right of Palestinians to self-determination, firstly during the phase of peace talks and, secondly, by determining the specific conditions necessary for an independent and free future for Palestinians in the short to medium term, as well as the role that member States can play.