Palestinian and Israeli women have been trying to build bridges for peace and talking for years about their future.

It was Palestinian women who were courageous enough to engage in joint peace initiatives with Israelis in the most difficult periods. It was Israeli women who changed public opinion about the terrible and pointless war in Lebanon.
We, European women members of European parliament have long supported the efforts of the Palestinian and Israeli women to bring about a just and lasting peace for their peoples. The violence of the past few weeks has once again brought sufferance mostly to the Palestinian people and separated women's voices who were speaking together.

We know that there is no other way for the two people to live in the land of Palestine and Israel. We known that every human being, above all the children deserve a life of dignity and peace. We know that Palestinian and Israeli women don’t want their children to be killed or to be killers.

We women, members of European Parliament, dedicate our action to help in the struggle for mutual understanding and cooperation in the recognition of reciprocal rights.

We are convinced that both peoples can and have to share the resources of that land, its water, its vines, and its holy places. Jerusalem can be shared and become a capital for two independent and equal states.

Peace cannot be won through violence and force but only through dialogue and mediation and women can lead the way.

We know that security means being good neighbours and respect of each other rights.

We call all the women and people to mobilize their common efforts to work for a solution based on the following principles:

- An end to the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
- Respect, application of UN resolutions and subsequent agreements to fulfil Palestinian’s right.
- The establishment of a Palestinian independent state in coexistence, cooperation and security with the state of Israel

- Jerusalem shared capital of two people for two states.

We wish that the conclusion of the recent summit in Sharm El Sheik, as a first step to stop the violence, could be followed by immediate negotiations.

We demand that all negotiation from national to international team include a large amount of women committed to peace and justice.

With this message from the 27 to the 31 of October we, women member of the European parliament, will go on a delegation to Jerusalem to meet Palestinian and Israeli women.

first signatures:

Nuala Ahern, Luisa Morgantini, Pasqualina Napoletano,

Ana PalacioVallelersundi, Lousewies Van Der Laan, Ulla Sandbaek