BRUSSELS, Belgium(Imran Saqib Ch) — As a fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza, The Left group in the European Parliament is demanding the European Union take concrete steps to hold Israeli leaders accountable for alleged war crimes, arguing there can be no “business as usual for genocidaires.”
The political faction welcomed the ongoing humanitarian pauses and prisoner exchanges but expressed grave concern over reports of continued bombardments. They are urging the EU to address the root causes of the conflict by fully enforcing international law.
Lynn Boylan, Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Palestine, stated, “A ceasefire is of course welcome, but it has to be built on lasting peace and justice. True justice means accountability for the war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Israeli Government.”
The Irish Sinn Féin MEP added, “We cannot have a situation where a country is allowed to commit genocide for two years and then allowed to return to business as usual.” She called on the EU to require member states to execute International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The Left’s demands come amid signals from the European Commission that it may drop proposed sanctions against Israeli ministers who publicly called for the extermination of Palestinians.
The group outlined a series of specific actions for the EU, including the full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, a comprehensive arms embargo, and a complete ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements.
Emphasizing that peace must be accompanied by justice, The Left is pushing for increased international pressure on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories and adhere to the rulings of both the ICC and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
