Brussels – The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee called on the European Union on Wednesday to assist the International Criminal Court in prosecuting Israel for its war crimes.

The committee said that it “regret[s] the limited progress on the ICC infestations in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the occupied Palestinian territories and commit to help the ICC and its prosecutor move forward with the investigation and the prosecution.”

Their statement said that the illegal settlements constitute a major obstacle to the viability of the two-state solution, He and called for new efforts to end the latest cycle of settler violence. They added that the EU should consider measures specifically addressing settlement expansion in the West Bank.

The vote passed with 41 votes in favor, 24 votes against, and nine abstentions. 

The resolution was introduced by the committee's rapporteur, Swedish MEP Evin Incir, who said that the "Palestinian people have been living under the yoke of occupation for more than 50 years, and the European Union must show its true commitment by strengthening its cooperation with the Palestinian Authority and working to end the occupation."

The committee had expressed concern about the European Union's policy and financial assistance in the Palestinian territories undermined by illegal Israeli settlements, and demanded compensation for the demolition of all EU-funded infrastructure in the area.

The text of the statement indicates that in 2022, 101 buildings funded by the European Union or member states worth €337,019 ($369,000) were demolished or seized by Israeli occupation authorities.

The committee also requested the European Union to issue a legal opinion to assess the political and economic consequences of the Israel's decision to transfer broad authority over civil issues in the West Bank to the far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The committee also wants the European Union to launch negotiations on a full partnership agreement with Palestine as soon as possible and to hold an Association Council, noting that the European Union had concluded a similar partnership agreement with the Israeli occupation since 2000.

These recommendations will be submitted to the full European Parliament for adoption as a whole with a vote scheduled for next July.