Over 70 Palestinian civilians, including women and children, were killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes yesterday. This new cycle of violence is the most serious since the Israeli offensive against Gaza at the end of 2012, supposedly in retaliation to Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli territory and the killing of three young Israelis.

The European Union and the international community must react immediately, and in the strongest possible terms, to prevent further bloodshed. The group considers that peace cannot be achieved by dropping more bombs. No form of collective punishment can be justified in response to these killings.

The GUE/NGL group had asked for a debate on Palestine during the forthcoming plenary session in Strasbourg next week. But today, GUE/NGL President Gabi Zimmer, asked the Conference of Presidents, which is responsible for deciding on the agenda of plenary sessions, to agree to a resolution on Palestine to be voted urgently next week. But the Presidents of the European People's Party, the Socialists and Democrats and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats opposed this proposal with no further explanation.

During the same meeting, a request to have a resolution on the TTIP EU-US talks, requested by the Greens and backed by the GUE/NGL, was turned down by the same three groups for whom this issue does not seem to be a priority either.

GUE/NGL Press Contacts:

Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20

Emily Macintosh +32 470 85 05 08

David Lundy +32 470 85 05 09

European United Left / Nordic Green Left

European Parliamentary Group

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