The
European Parliament's engagement with the
Palestinian people began in November 1993, shortly after the signing of the
Oslo Accords between the
Government of Israel and the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). In response, the Parliament created an
ad hoc delegation to manage relations with the Palestinian leadership. Following the establishment of the
Palestinian National Authority in 1994, the Parliament formalized its engagement by establishing a standing delegation, officially titled the "
Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council (
DPLC)", on 12 December 1996. On 9 September 2015, the delegation was renamed the "Delegation for relations with Palestine (DPAL)". This change followed the Parliament's adoption of a resolution on 17 December 2014, expressing support in principle for the
recognition of Palestinian statehood. Although political groups in the Parliament have occasionally proposed creating a single joint delegation for managing relations with both Israel and the Palestinian territories, such a proposal has not been implemented. From 1999, the delegation was chaired by Italian
MEP Luisa Morgantini, who played a prominent role in advocating for
Palestinian right of return, for which she was later incarcerated by the Israeli authorities. Morgantini led missions to Gaza, condemning the siege and describing the territory as an "
open-air prison". In 2004,
Cypriot MEP
Adamos Adamou succeeded Morgantini as chair, serving until 2009. During his tenure, the delegation faced difficulties accessing
Gaza, particularly after the
2008–2009 Gaza conflict.
Israeli authorities began blocking DPAL visits, citing security concerns. These restrictions intensified in subsequent years, with delegations repeatedly denied entry to Gaza, compelling the delegation to meet Palestinian representatives primarily in the
West Bank and
East Jerusalem. The delegation's chairs throughout the 2010s, including
Kyriacos Triantaphyllides,
Neoklis Sylikiotis, and later
Manu Pineda, continued to highlight
human rights violations and the adverse effects of the
Israeli blockade on Gaza. In response, Israeli authorities increasingly barred individual members from entry due to their activism or association with
pro-Palestinian initiatives such as
flotillas aiming to break the blockade. In May 2022, Chair
Manu Pineda was officially denied entry into
Israel ahead of a planned delegation visit to investigate the
killing of journalist
Shireen Abu Akleh, sparking protests from,
Roberta Metsola, the
President of the European Parliament. Similar denials followed in 2023, with another delegation member,
Ana Miranda Paz, deported despite prior approval, due to her participation in
freedom flotillas. Similarly, In early 2025 when Chair
Lynn Boylan and fellow MEP
Rima Hassan (of Palestinian origin) were denied entry at
Ben Gurion Airport, leading to the cancellation of the delegation's mission. This action, including the confiscation of
diplomatic passports and phones, was condemned by the
European Parliament as "a serious affront to diplomatic norms" and the EU's role in the
Middle East peace process. == Members ==