On Tuesday 11 March, Members of the European Parliament debated the alarming humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, almost 18 months after the Hamas terrorist attack and the subsequent large-scale Israeli military offensive.
On the left of the Chamber, several MEPs strongly criticised the European Union’s reaction, expressing their weariness and dismay.
“Session after session, we see the horrific situation in Gaza, but my question is: ‘when are we going to do something about it’?” said Sweden’s Evin Incir on behalf of the Social Democrats. And she went on to add: “International law is not a menu where you can pick and choose what suits you”.
“When I visited Rafah a year ago, Israel was already blocking humanitarian access. At the time, the excuse that was given was that the UN agencies were disorganised and unreliable, or that humanitarian aid could be diverted for military purposes. Today, Israel has again cut off electricity and aid, but this time, thanks to the support of the United States and the inaction of the European Union, it no longer even bothers to apologise”, lamented Barry Andrews (Renew Europe, Irish).
“What is Europe doing? It is looking away. Our responsibility is overwhelming. History will remember one word: cowardice”, stressed Mounir Satouri (French) on behalf of the Greens/EFA, criticising the holding of the EU-Israel Association Council on 24 February (see EUROPE 13586/4).
On the right of the Chamber, Michał Szczerba (EPP, Polish) described the “humanitarian cost” in Gaza as “unacceptable”. “We recognise the right of states to defend themselves, but at the same time Europe has an essential role to play in promoting stability”, he said.
Sebastiaan Stöteler (PFE, Dutch) called on the European Commission to ensure the return of the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.
Bert-Jan Ruissen (CRE, Dutch), then emphasised the importance of excluding Hamas from any future governance of Gaza and of banning any organisations with proven links to this group from European soil. Solid security guarantees combined with the immediate release of the remaining hostages could, according to the Conservative MEP, lay the foundations for a genuine route out of the crisis.
On Wednesday, a spokesman for the European External Action Service, when asked about the blocking of aid to the Palestinian enclave, described the Israeli decision as “inconsistent with the absolute priority of maintaining the ceasefire”.
“The EU will continue to play its part to improve the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza”, he added. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)