EU lawmakers criticize bloc's Israel policy amid humanitarian crisis in Gaza

By Selen Valente Rasquinho

BRUSSELS (AA) - Some members of the European Parliament accused the EU of "complicity" for remaining silent amid Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) attended a session Wednesday on Gaza with the participation of foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic.

Some lawmakers rejected the Israeli attacks by defining them as "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide."

They blamed the bloc for its double standards for its policy on the problem.

Referring to the Israel-Hamas hostage swap deal, French MP Manon Aubry from the Left group, said: "Just a pause cannot be enough."

There must be a permanent cease-fire, she said, adding that what do they say to the thousands of parents who lost children?

Also touching on the situation in the West Bank, Aubry underlined that every day Palestinians are attacked, mistreated, beaten and driven from their lands. She said it is a "form of ethnic cleansing."

Spanish MP Manu Pineda noted that the European Parliament refused to demand a cease-fire in Gaza and parliament refused to discuss it.

“How many more Palestinian children need to be killed by Israeli bombs before the EP and the EU demand a cease-fire," asked Pineda.

- 'EU must be brave, not complicit'

Independent Italian MP Dino Giarruso said children, men, women and civilians are killed just because they are Palestinians.

He went on to say that the killing includes newborns in incubators who die because Israel cuts off the electricity of hospitals. "This is what is happening in Palestine," said Giarruso.

Irish MP Grace O'Sullivan from the Green group, said the European Parliament has failed to call for a cease-fire and to respond to violations of international law.

She noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government have become even more "emboldened by your silence."

O'Sullivan urged MEPs to stop trade and recognize the Palestinian state. "The EU must be brave, not complicit," she added.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.

Authorities in Gaza said Tuesday that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave has since risen past 14,500, including more than 6,000 children and 4,000 women.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.