ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

Mr Pyne, pursuant to notice, moved—That this House:

(1) expresses its dismay at the ongoing violence and incitement to violence in the Middle East and calls on both sides to immediately stop all violent acts and for the restoration of calm to the region;

(2) takes note of the far-reaching and courageous proposals made by Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, at Camp David and its disappointment that this historic opportunity was not successfully seized by all parties to the peace process;

(3) calls on all partners to resume negotiations without the threat of violence and without the premature announcement of unilateral declarations;

(4) expresses its grief for the innocent lives lost on both sides and condemns the unacceptable inclusion of children in violent activities on the front line and expresses the hope that violence will be stopped in accordance with the Sharm el-Sheik agreement;

(5) hopes that the conflict will be resolved in the framework of agreement and compromise;

(6) calls on the leadership of the Israeli and Palestinian people to restore trust and confidence in order to pave the way for the resumption of peace negotiations;

(7) calls on all countries surrounding the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories to ensure their sovereign territory not be used to promote aggression into an already turbulent area; and

(8) believes that peaceful coexistence is the only option for both Israelis and Palestinians now and into the future.

Debate ensued.

The time allotted for the debate having expired, the debate was interrupted, and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for the next sitting.