United Left: “Stop the bloodshed in Palestine. It’s a form of collective punishment.”

The tragic balance of the Palestinians killed so far in Gaza amounts to 81 persons, due to Israeli army bombings. About 575 persons were wounded, and among the latest victims there were three Palestinians travelling by car in Jabalya, killed by an Israeli rocket. “We demand an immediate end to the blood bath currently committed in Palestine” wrote the GUE/NGL members, the United Left at the European Parliament. Israel hit 326 targets in Gaza in the last 24 hours, and the Israel Army Spokesperson said 105 rockets were sent from Gaza, and 82 fell into Israeli territory, while 21 were destroyed by the Iron Dome. Other rockets fell in empty areas.

Israeli army operations, denounced GUE, include the continuation of arbitrary detentions of hundreds of Palestinians, with the majority belonging to Hamas, as well as the illegal demolitions of houses in several cities, villages, and refugee camps; more than 2,200 buildings, both private homes as well as journalists’ offices, universities, and social organisations were raided. According to the United Left this is just a “collective punishment” in retaliation for the killing of the three Israeli students.

“We strongly condemn the killing of three young Israelis and expresses its condolences to their families. Still, we equally strongly condemn the revenge killing of the young Palestinian abducted, tortured and murdered in retaliation and all the attacks and killings suffered by the Palestinian families who have subsequently experienced an escalation of violence and racial hatred.”

This is why the United Left demands that the European Union and the international community “act urgently to protect the Palestinian people.” In addition, they demand the United Nations to conduct an impartial international investigation to find the killers of the three Israeli teenagers as well as of the young Palestinian. The issue will be discussed during the next Plenary, to be held next week in Strasbourg.

S&D Vice President, Victor Bostinaru, said “The further escalation of this crisis can only bring more suffering to both Israelis and Palestinian.” Hence, Socialists call on “we call on Hamas and Palestinian militias to put an immediate end to the rocket attacks on Israel,” and at the same time, “we call on Israel to fully respect its obligations under international law by avoiding the excessive use of force and protecting civilians and vital civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.” Furthermore, S&D urged members of the UN Security Council “to do their utmost at today’s emergency meeting to find an adequate response to the crisis,” and encouraged “key regional players, including Egypt and Jordan, to contribute to the efforts to calm the situation.”