In the resolution approved Thursday with 500 votes in favor, 21 against and 24 abstentions, the deputies emphasize the need to “eliminate the terrorist organization Hamas”. They also demand the immediate release of all hostages kidnapped by Hamas. Parliament also stressed that both Hamas’ attacks and Israel’s response risk reinforcing a “vicious circle of violence in the region”.
In the resolution, Parliament expresses its deep concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and highlights the importance of distinguishing between the Palestinian people and the terrorist group Hamas. MEPs call on the international community to continue and increase its humanitarian assistance to civilians in the region. They call on Egypt and Israel to work with the international community to establish humanitarian corridors to the Gaza Strip.
MEPs support an increase in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, but also call on the European Commission to conduct a full review of all EU financial aid to Palestine and the region. The resolution underlines the need for an immediate resumption of the peace process towards a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. Iran’s support for Hamas is strongly condemned.
EU heads of state and government reaffirmed their solidarity with Israel at a special summit on Tuesday, saying the country had “the right to defend itself in accordance with international law”. The EU also funds humanitarian aid in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
“The focus is on the release of the children, women and men kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas. Israel will destroy Hamas. There is no doubt that the professionals of the Israel Defense Forces adhere to international law. This is part of the ongoing issue is “a hodgepodge of disingenuous allegations aimed at harming Israel. This must be clearly rejected,” said Lukas Mandl, ÖVP foreign policy and security spokesman in the European Parliament.
“We realize how fragile peace and tranquility have become,” the leader of the SPÖ delegation in the EU Parliament, Andreas Schieder, previously explained to journalists in Strasbourg. For Israel, it is the “worst attack on Jewish life since the Holocaust.” Europe must therefore “show unity”.
The leader of the liberal delegation in the European Parliament, Harald Vilimsky, described the resolution in a broadcast as a “rotten compromise between left-wing, liberal and so-called conservative factions”. He also criticized the suggestion that the EU should play a decisive role in resolving this conflict. The three FPÖ representatives abstained from the vote. The right-wing populist AfD (Alternative for Germany), however, agreed.
“Civilians in Israel and Gaza must be protected and medical care must be guaranteed. To achieve this, the EU and Member States must continue to provide humanitarian aid and use all their diplomatic weight to achieve a ceasefire together with partners in the region”, he explained. Thomas Waitz, MEP and leader of the European Green Party.