23
Apr
2024
Watch
EU’s response to the repeated killing of humanitarian aid workers, journalists and civilians by the Israel Defence Forces in the Gaza Strip (debate)
Madam President, I do not want to leave this House without thanking Mr Borrell for his clear messages which, together with the Spanish Government's commitment to the Palestinian state, shed some light when we take to the streets to ask for the confidence of European citizens in the new Parliament which will be set up from July. Plenary after plenary session, we denounce war crimes, the destruction of hospitals, the use of hunger as a weapon of war, the death of journalists and humanitarian workers. However, no concrete action has yet been taken against the Government of Israel. The only thing the Israeli Government can understand is sustained and unequivocal pressure from the international community. We are one of the largest donors of both cooperation and humanitarian aid to the European Union, but we must also use our economic power to put even more pressure on Israel. There is an urgent need to increase funding for UNRWA, but there is also an urgent need to assess the Association Agreement with Israel and suspend it. Only weeks before the European elections, we cannot continue to have double standards. After six months, let's move on to concrete action. The same thing we did with Russia or Venezuela or many others.