Murder of Pierre Gemayel

The murder of Pierre Gemayel has shocked Lebanon. It has also rocked the Middle East. It has shown the fragility of the situation in the region. The Middle East peace process is stalled, a multinational force in Lebanon under the UN flag holds the peace in southern part of the country, Israel continues to use force in Gaza, Palestinians continue to fire rockets into Israel and three EU countries - France, Spain and Italy - scramble to resuscitate a dead peace process.

The murder of Pierre Gemayel helps refocus attention and highlights the dangers. On learning of his murder, the President of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, condemned this vile and cowardly assassination. Mr Borrell was on an official visit to Nigeria.

The President was reported to have said: "This assassination, whose perpetrators will, I hope, soon be brought to justice, must not be allowed to stand in the way of the Lebanese people's strong desire to live in peace, within a democratic society."

On November 8, Mr Borrell firmly condemned another hideous incident in which 18 people were killed and some 40 injured when Israel carried out a military attack in Beit Hanoun, in the Gaza Strip. Almost all the victims were civilians.

Mr Borrell asked the simple question that all of us are asking: "How can the death of civilians bring Israel security? How can it lead the Palestinians to make a political commitment to peace and dialogue?"

In the meantime, the EU through the Finnish Presidency has once again called on Israel to stop all activities in the occupied territories, including the building of settlements, the construction of separation barriers and the demolishing of Palestinian homes.

The EU has once again condemned Israel's policy in no uncertain terms. In a statement issued on November 7 to the United Nations on the Report of the Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinians and other Arab peoples in the occupied territories, the Finnish Ambassador to the UN, Taisto Huimasalo, called on Israel to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.