Strasbourg: The EU Foreign Policy chief Kaja Kallas on Wednesday described Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip as genocide. Kallas addressed a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, stressing the need to put pressure on Israel.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the European Parliament's session was held under the title 'Stopping the genocide in Gaza: time for EU sanctions,' initiated by the Left Group, comprising 46 representatives. Kallas stated that Israel's actions go beyond self-defense, noting that blocking food and medicine for Palestinians in Gaza does not protect Israel and bypassing UN aid deliveries undermines humanitarian principles.
Kallas highlighted the dire situation in Gaza, where 90% of the population has been displaced and those remaining are dependent on aid that is not arriving. She criticized Israel's plan to seize control of Gaza and displace its population, referring to the military operation "Gideon's Chariots" as an example of disproportionate force and targeting of civilian infrastructure, leading to unacceptable casualties.
Addressing the issue of displacement and annexation, Kallas emphasized that altering or annexing territory violates international law. She condemned the violence by colonists against Palestinians and the ongoing Israeli military aggression in the West Bank, which threaten the formation of a Palestinian state and regional peace.
Kallas urged EU Member States to increase pressure on Israel to alleviate Palestinian suffering and recalled that the EU has condemned settler-colonialism and sanctioned those responsible for human rights abuses against Palestinians. She reaffirmed the EU's commitment to a two-state solution as the path to lasting peace.
