Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Deafening silence from EU leaders as the Israeli government launches a new ground offensive on Gaza City and approves the construction of a new settlement. This was stated in a statement issued Friday by the Green Party group in the European Parliament, a copy of which we received. The statement read: “In a new escalation of its war against the Palestinians, the Israeli government has launched a ground invasion of Gaza City and, almost simultaneously, announced the construction of a new settlement in the West Bank that will displace thousands of Palestinians and, as far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated, ‘bury’ the possibility of a two-state solution.”
“The Israeli government’s ground invasion of Gaza City, home to over a million Palestinians, is part of the ongoing genocide perpetrated by the Israeli government against the Palestinians,” said Foula Tsitsi, co-chair of the European Green Party. “The current escalation is taking us further and further away from a peaceful solution, rather than bringing us closer.”
European leaders have rightly taken decisive and resolute action on Ukraine. But their silence on Israel's genocide against Palestinians has been deafening. This is completely unacceptable. We reiterate our demands for a complete ban on arms and equipment exports to Israel, and we urge the European Commission and Member States to immediately suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement and move to recognize the State of Palestine.

Ciaran Cough, Co-Chair of the European Green Party, concluded: "Prime Minister Netanyahu's government and the Israeli military are responsible for some of the most serious violations of international law and human rights in recent memory, including mass displacement, the destruction of hospitals, and the blockade of aid, which has led to urgent UN warnings of famine. The Netanyahu government must be held accountable before the International Criminal Court for war crimes." We urgently need an immediate and lasting ceasefire, full legal accountability, unhindered humanitarian access, and the release of all hostages by Hamas. The EU cannot continue to be complicit through inaction.