After four months of brutal violence perpetrated by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people, the European Parliament has, for the first time, called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, voting through an amendment from The Left.
The Left raised several amendments related to the current situation in Gaza in Parliament’s annual report on human rights and democracy in the world and related EU action .
The adopted text calls for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip in order to allow uninterrupted access to food and water for all its inhabitants.
Left amendments adopted also highlighted that UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) plays an irreplaceable role in providing critical aid to ensure the day-to-day survival of 2.2 million civilians in Gaza, who are facing an unspeakable threat to their lives and most basic rights. The resolution criticises the suspension of funding to UNRWA by 18 states and warns that if this decision is not reversed, UNRWA will run out of funds in the coming months. Therefore, it calls for the EU and its member states to grant UNRWA support with the proper funding to continue and improve its life-saving humanitarian work.
The report recalls that between 500 and 700 Palestinian children as young as 12 years old are being detained and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system. Some are held without charge, while others face trivial charges such as stone throwing. The Left strongly condemns this illegal and immoral incarceration by Israel and calls for the release of all Palestinian children from Israeli prisons.
Left MEP Miguel Urbán Crespo (Anticapitalistas, Spain) said:
“We have achieved a small victory, which comes too late after the killing of 30,000 people. For the first time, the European Parliament is calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. This comes at a time when Israel is planning a new Nakba using hunger as a weapon of war and blocking the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, with the complicity of the international community.
But the people of Gaza need more than parliamentary declarations. For this reason, we demand strong action from the EU to ensure a definitive ceasefire to put an end to the genocide. We need an arms embargo and the suspension of the EU’s trade and association agreement with Israel.”