Ceasefire is the first step towards a fundamental solution

“It has been shown that Israel’s military pressure was successful in bringing about a ceasefire.”said state parliament member Peter Florianschütz, the first president of the ÖIG, yesterday evening.

This agreement must now be implemented quickly and it must be ensured that the terrorist organization Hezbollah moves away from Israel’s border beyond the Litani River. In contrast to the previous ones, this agreement must be guaranteed and enforced internationally. In addition, it must be a goal to sustainably restrict the terrorist organization’s military capabilities.

“But this should not obscure the fact that no fundamentally positive development will be possible without the immediate release of the hostages still held captive in the Gaza Strip.”said Florianschütz.

“In any case, neither Hezbollah nor the terrorist organization Hamas can play a role in a more sound solution that can be created in the medium term. In the Gaza Strip there is a need to create civilian structures in which Hamas must not be involved.”Florianschütz continued. The global community bears a significant responsibility, for example by creating new multinational structures.

“Israel is a democratic constitutional state with a functioning independent judiciary. The allegations against the responsible government and its actions can and must of course be investigated by international justice, as the rules of the International Criminal Court also provide for.”adds the 2nd Secretary General of the ÖIG, Michael Laubsch.

“The completely incomprehensible indictment of the Prime Minister of Israel by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is in any case not a contribution to a peaceful solution,” explains the ÖIG. Equating the government of a democratic constitutional state with a terrorist organization is a completely wrong decision and gives the impression that the members of the court measured things with very different standards.

After 14 months of military conflict, a period of positive options is now emerging, which, however, must be used in a balanced and constructive manner. In any case, trust in institutions and people such as the Secretary General of the United Nations has been somewhat shaken and it is questionable whether these structures can contribute to a successful solution.

The Austrian Federal Government is called upon to get involved in supporting a peace process and Israel as an attacked, democratic country.