MEPs strongly criticize EU inaction on Gaza Genocide
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have sharply criticized the European Union’s (EU) inaction in response to what they described as Israel’s genocide in Gaza, calling for measures such as a weapons embargo on Tel Aviv and the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
Belgian MEP Marc Botenga addressed the European Parliament plenary session, held for the first time after the summer recess, in a session titled “Gaza on the Brink: EU Action Needed on Famine, Prisoners, and Two-State Solution.” Botenga accused Europe of “supporting massacres” by continuing to provide Israel with millions of euros and weapons.
“If anything is clear, it is that Europe’s moral compass is no longer here. The moral compass is in the hands of thousands of Europeans who are acting against Europe’s inaction and complicity in Gaza. What is happening is a genocide that almost everyone can see, except for a few who continue to support Israel,” Botenga said.
He also criticized EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, saying, “You claim to have discussed humanitarian aid with the Israeli minister. But did you raise the issue of famine? Since your agreement with the Israeli minister, Gaza has faced famine.”
European Leaders Have Lost Their Morality and Humanity
Manon Aubry, French MEP and chair of the Left group in the EP, described the situation in Gaza as “the worst humanitarian massacre of the last century,” noting that most groups in the EP had ignored the crisis. She emphasized that a parliamentary resolution on the genocide was only tabled after 700 days.
Aubry recalled that the decision to discuss the genocide came after humanitarian aid trucks were blocked, over 6,000 children were killed, 200 journalists were murdered, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to extend the genocide to the West Bank. She demanded concrete action from the EU, not just condemnations, asking, “Ms. Kallas, what are you waiting for? We demand a weapons embargo; France has delivered record numbers of weapons to Israel. You acknowledge human rights violations, so what are you waiting for regarding the Association Agreement with Israel?”
Aubry also highlighted participants of the Global Sumud Fleet, sailing from Spain to Gaza to break the blockade, as “more courageous than European leaders” and called for EU diplomatic protection for the fleet.
Stressing that Gaza cannot wait another 700 days, Aubry said: “By then, the people of Gaza will no longer be there. They have nothing left—no shelters to protect them from bombs, no food, no hospitals to treat their wounds, no soil to bury the dead, and no tears to mourn their loved ones. They have nothing left.” She warned that European leaders had lost their morality and humanity and called for urgent action.
Response to Police Crackdowns on Pro-Palestine Protests in Europe
Spanish MEP and Palestinian Delegation member Ana Miranda Paz criticized Kallas for avoiding the term “genocide” regarding Gaza. She stated that many people who “cannot bear seeing children killed” use the term.
Paz also condemned police interventions against pro-Palestine demonstrations in Europe, saying, “We live in a world turned upside down. We are being detained for speaking about genocide. I am disappointed. Europe is making a grave mistake, but I will continue the struggle until this genocide ends.”
