Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

Several European cities witnessed the exit of tens of thousands of citizens, whether Europeans or members of Arab and Islamic communities and others, over the weekend to denounce the continuation of the war in Gaza and Lebanon. The streets of Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, witnessed a massive demonstration on Sunday that toured the city streets and stopped in front of the American embassy for a while and chanted against American support for Israel and raised banners during their march demanding an end to the genocide and the rescue of civilians in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon. The participants raised the flags of Palestine and Lebanon and some of them wore the Palestinian scarf. Some of the participants in organizing the event also gave speeches at the end of the massive march in which they stressed the necessity of a ceasefire and putting an end to the fall of new numbers of victims and the necessity for the international community to act against Israeli intransigence.

In Spain, dozens gathered in the Spanish city of Palma to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon in addition to demanding that the Spanish government stop selling weapons to Israel, according to the Europa Press Agency. The agency noted that the demonstrators called for essential supplies, including food and fuel, to be allowed into the area “immediately”.

Regarding the ceasefire, they urged all parties to the conflict to adopt, prolong, monitor and respect it to protect the civilian population.

They also called on the State of Israel to end “unlawful” attacks, including “indiscriminate and direct attacks against civilians and targets”, and to lift “the blockade imposed on Gaza and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid”.

They called on the Spanish government to work to prevent genocide, to support all existing international accountability mechanisms “unequivocally and unconditionally”, to maintain funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to permanently suspend Spanish arms exports to Israel and to strengthen, within the framework of the comprehensive peace agreement with the European Union and the United Nations, “the imposition of a comprehensive arms embargo on all parties to the conflict”.
Amnesty International noted that since this escalation of violence began, “Israel has, in its response, committed the greatest atrocities ever witnessed in Gaza, and has now also bombed Lebanon”.

They explained that "since then, more than 41,000 people have lost their lives, including a large number of children, elderly people and women, and there are approximately 95,000 injured and more than 10,000 missing, in addition to destroyed buildings in cities and towns."

In Germany, the German police used dogs to disperse demonstrators who took to the streets of the capital Berlin on Saturday to denounce the ongoing Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip for more than a year.

The demonstrators set out on a march chanting slogans such as "Freedom for Palestine" and "Genocide", and the police arrested many demonstrators and used violence against the protesters.
Although many demonstrators left the area, the police used dogs to disperse a number of demonstrators who refused to end their protest.

The German police arrested a German citizen of Arab origin, claiming that he was planning to attack the Israeli embassy in Berlin. The German News Agency quoted a spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy as claiming that "there was a plan to attack the diplomatic mission." In Italy, a number of demonstrators clashed with police during pro-Gaza demonstrations in the Italian city of Naples, calling for an end to the war in Gaza and Lebanon, and a ceasefire, coinciding with a meeting of the G7 defense ministers, according to the Italian newspaper Il Giornale.
The newspaper indicated that officials at the G7 defense ministers meeting urged an end to the uncontrollable escalation and violence in the Middle East.
Press reports indicated that groups of demonstrators supporting the Palestinian people and ending the war in Gaza and Lebanon clashed with Italian police on Saturday in the southern city of Naples, where the protest gathered about 500 people and took place in the center of the Italian city amid a large police force.
The police accusations began after the demonstrators rushed towards riot police carrying a large cardboard banner calling for an end to the Israeli attack on Gaza and the Middle East, and then began throwing bottles and stones, according to local media.
The G7 countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Japan and Italy) stressed in a joint document with the conclusions of the main issues they discussed at their meeting in Naples that “we call for an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza “and the release of all hostages.”

The G7 described the situation in the Middle East as “a dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation” that “risks fueling an uncontrollable escalation” that already exists, “which benefits no one.”

The world’s seven most powerful industrial democracies called for “we encourage all parties to cooperate constructively to reduce tensions and stress the importance of all parties acting in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law.”

They also urged “the absolute need to protect the civilian population and ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access.”