The official cross-party European Parliament Delegation I led on a fact-finding mission to the West Bank and East Jerusalem concluded its visit today and we called on the European Union and its Member States to grasp the opportunity presented by the ending of the division between Fatah and Hamas, and to take an active role in bringing a peaceful end to Israel's 44-year occupation of Palestinian territory.

Our Delegation called on the EU and Member State governments to support the Reconciliation Agreement between Fatah and Hamas announced on Wednesday, and to work to ensure the speedy establishment of the promised Technical Government of National Unity promised in the agreement, and the holding of the promised elections with a clear commitment to respect the outcome. We emphasised that the EU pledge, in response to the reform movement across the Middle East, to respect the outcome of Democratic elections for example in Egypt, must also be applied to the outcome of Palestinian elections.

The refusal of the EU to talk with Palestinian representatives elected in 2006 undoubtedly contributed to the divisions between Fatah and Hamas and set back the peace process by years and has resulted in further untold misery and death for thousands of Palestinians and many Israelis. It is a mistake that must not be repeated.

Europe has the opportunity now to restore its credibility in the region by being consistent, by engaging with all the Palestinian political parties, and by persuading Israel that partial solutions and piecemeal concessions will not bring peace and security for Israelis or Palestinians; only the ending of the occupation based on the longstanding understanding of a two state solution based on 1967 Green Line will achieve this. Now is the time to begin talks on settling the permanent borders of the two states with guarantees of security for both states.

We concluded our four days of meetings with politicians and human rights NGOs and the non-violent resistance committees by emphasising that, in view of the USA's paralysis on the issue, the EU held the key to progress, and warned that there would be no two-state solution if past mistakes were repeated. Time is running out. Israel is establishing facts on the ground with settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank which are making the creation of a viable Palestinian State based on the 1967 Green Line more and more difficult.

We were shocked to find yet again that Israel is involved in arbitrary military justice, imprisonment and physical attacks on peaceful protesters, and of children as young as 10 years of age; arbitrary evictions and demolition of Palestinian homes to make way for settler families, and a separation policy akin to apartheid, imposed through selective use of identity cards, separate road systems and the carving-up of the Palestinian Territories into Bantustan-style enclaves. It is clear from our meetings that Palestinians will never accept Bantustan-style autonomous areas surrounded by hostile settlers.

The EU has, up to now, failed to apply any serious pressure on Israel to enter final status negotiations to bring this intolerable situation to an end.

At best, the EU is regarded by both Israelis and Palestinians as a payer, not a player. At worst, it stands accused of double standards and even of facilitating the occupation by failing to apply rigorous human rights and democratic standards of accountability and compliance on Israel for the massive support she receives in trade and research from the EU, and in Europe's funding of Palestinian infrastructure, which legally is the responsibility of Israel as the occupying power.

Abuse, humiliation and injustice is the daily lot of a great number of Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli authorities. The situation is not getting any better and does not promote Israel's security. On the contrary, it is breeding a new generation who will continue to resist the occupation. It is time that the EU and its Member States showed the courage and principle to take a lead on this issue which is of such importance to peace across the world.