Strongest language yet: The Left in the European Parliament succeeds in getting a debate on the plenary agenda on “Stopping the Genocide in Gaza: time for EU sanctions.”
In a first for any of the European institutions in the 20 months since the onslaught in Gaza began, the Parliament next week will finally use the correct terminology to describe what is happening in Gaza – genocide.
After multiple attempts to get the genocide on the agenda over the past 16 months since the International Court of Justice first ordered Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza, The Left succeeded in securing a topical debate on Wednesday of next week’s Plenary on “Stopping the Genocide in Gaza: time for EU sanctions”. This marks the first time that any European institution has used this terminology for the situation imposed on Palestinians in Gaza by the Israeli government. It also comes as the Netanyahu regime continues to block aid from entering Gaza, arrest aid workers of the Freedom Flotilla, and open fire on Palestinians seeking food and water.
Co-chair of the Left Manon Aubry (La France Insoumise, France) said: “While millions face famine and thousands of children have already died, the European Commission turns a blind eye to the genocide in Gaza and continues business as usual with Israel through its association agreement. The European Parliament, for its part, failed to even demand the release of my colleague Rima Hassan, imprisoned by Israel for attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians as part of the Freedom Flotilla. The Left will tirelessly continue to denounce this genocide and demand sanctions against Israel. History will remember.”
The designation of the situation in Gaza as genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention is supported by, amongst others, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, the UN Special Committee on Israeli practices in occupied territories, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, as well as countless legal advocates, and academic experts in genocide studies.
Israel has ignored the interim measures imposed on it by the International Court of Justice to prevent acts of genocide. Meanwhile, the Prime minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu remains at large despite an ICC warrant for his arrest on charges of war crimes and intentional starvation of the people of Gaza.