UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM IRISH PRIME MINISTER, REVISES DECK
By Ahmet Gencturk
ATHENS (AA) - The EU should take action to stop extremist Israeli settlers from threatening and attacking Palestinians in the West Bank through measures such as sanctions and travel bans, said the Irish premier (Taoiseach) on Thursday.
“The EU should consider sanctions and travel bans for extremist Jewish settlers,” Leo Varakdar told the press before a two-day European Council meeting in Brussels.
“Over 250 Palestinians (were) killed in the West Bank in the last two months, not an area controlled by Gaza, and that action is being perpetrated by wild Israeli settlers who are trying to push Palestinians off their land,” he added.
“I think the center of gravity within the European Union is moving closer to the position that Ireland has taken for some time but still needs to move further, in my view,” Varakdar added, pointing to how more European countries supported last week’s UN General Assembly resolution for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, which Ireland co-sponsored.
Furthermore, he urged European leaders to agree on a joint statement that has “strong wording” condemning terrorism by Hamas, but that also “calls for a humanitarian cease-fire and calls for justice for Palestinian people.”
Varakdar also said that the EU lost credibility among young people around the world, who are increasingly sympathizing with Palestinians and their sufferings owing to a lack of a stronger stance on the situation.
“We’ve lost credibility with the Global South, which actually is most of the world, because of what is perceived to be double standards. And there’s some truth in that, quite frankly,” he added.
Varakdar insisted that the outcome of the meeting should be “a two-state solution which the European Union should be pushing and demanding, not just calling for.”
Also speaking to the press, Belgian Premier Alexander De Croo said a cease-fire in Gaza is necessary for humanitarian aid to reach the enclave, adding that “unnecessary killings” must stop.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege, and mounted a ground offensive in the wake of a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 18,608 Palestinians have been killed and 50,594 injured in the Israeli onslaught since then, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The official Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, while around 139 hostages remain in captivity, according to official figures.