Parliamentary questions
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1338/03
by Maurizio Turco (NI) and Marco Cappato (NI) to the Council
(31 March 2003)

Subject: Persecution of homosexuals in the Palestinian Authority territories and Israeli expulsions of Palestinian homosexuals

According to the GLBT Israeli association "Aguda" and the Haaretz newspaper, on 6 March 2003 two gay Palestinians were tried for being in Israel illegally and consequently expelled to the Palestinian Authority. On 16 March 2003, another gay Palestinian was put on trial for the same charge and after serving his sentence he will be expelled to the Gaza Strip. According to information provided by Aguda, homosexuals in the Palestinian Authority suffer persecution, arrest, injury and torture, at times ending in death, and many of them are likely to be executed. Until a month ago the authorities in Israel did not arrest and/or expel these people, but then this policy was changed and the youths were arrested and brought to trial, and the automatic process of expelling them to the Palestinian Authority began. International human rights organisations are acting to prevent these expulsions, and notably pleaded with the Israeli Interior Minister, Mr Avraham Poraz, to use the authority vested in him by Israeli Law to stop the expulsions by granting temporary residency visas, but Mr Poraz has replied negatively.

Can the Council confirm this information? Is the Council monitoring this issue? Will the Council intervene with the Israeli authorities and particularly the Interior Minister to express EU concern at the fact that these expulsions could endanger the lives of gay Palestinians? Will the Council intervene with the Palestinian Authority to ensure that fundamental human rights are respected and that persecution against homosexuals stops?