from the correspondent in Strasbourg – “A shameful version of our humanity is unfolding before our eyes in real-time, and our global values are unravelling at a shocking pace, with devastating consequences. Nowhere is that clearer than in Gaza.” Jordan’s King Abdullah II sinks the blow against Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government. He addresses the House of the European Parliament to talk about an ally now regarded as “former,” no longer sustainable in the way it is increasingly conducting its fight against Hamas.
“What is happening in Gaza today defies international law, moral standards, and our common values,” the Arab state ruler said. “And we are witnessing transgression after transgression in the West Bank, with the situation worsening by the day.” In this, Abdullah II calls on the European Parliament and the EU that it represents to take a clear position. “If our global community fails to act decisively, we become complicit in rewriting what it means to be human,” he says, referring to European wavering. “If Israeli bulldozers continue to illegally demolish Palestinian homes, olive groves, and infrastructure, so too will they flatten the guardrails that define moral conduct.”
The King of Jordan tries to shake the European Parliament, which comprises parliamentarians from different states, some of which still do not recognize Palestine as a state. It is to them that he speaks when he says that “Palestinians, like all people, deserve the rights to freedom, sovereignty, and, yes, statehood.“
Abdullah II does not go into the merits of the military operations against the Islamic Republic, limiting himself to recalling the implications in terms of instability and uncertainty that a widening of the conflict in the region may have. He insists on the situation in Gaza to hold the Israeli government accountable: “Think back to 2023—the first Israeli attacks and raids on a hospital in Gaza sparked global shock and outrage. Since then, the World Health Organization has documented nearly 700 attacks on Gaza’s healthcare facilities.” Then came the jab at the European Parliament: “How is it that what was considered an atrocity just 20 months ago is now so commonplace it barely registers?”
The King of Jordan calls on Europe to change pace. He leaves the reflection and the burden of choice to the Union. “This year is likely to be a time of pivotal decisions for our entire world,” he scolds. In this sense, “Europe’s leadership will be vital in choosing the right course.“
La guerra di Israele contro l’Iran mette in ombra la catastrofe di Gaza
“We are in favor of sanctions against the Israeli government and its members,” Bas Eickhut, co-chairman of the Greens, said. “We are supercritical of Israel’s role, and we are united on this.” This is why “we demand a halt to the Association Agreement because human rights are no longer respected,” he added. Furthermore, “we want ceasefires and access to humanitarian aid.”
Decidedly different are the tones used by the European People’s Party, with the president of the Popular Party, Manfred Weber, who, on the one, hand reiterates his closeness to the Jewish State, arguing that “we do not want any further escalation without prejudice to Israel’s right to defend itself,” and shifting the focus to Tehran: “Iran must not have access to nuclear weapons,” he says at the press conference. Only in the second line comes criticism for the ongoing situation in the Palestinian territories: “We need humanitarian aid access to Gaza; starvation cannot be a weapon.”
There was no condemnation of the Netanyahu government from Nicola Procaccini, co-chairman of the European Conservatives (ECR). “We have seen the role played by drones” in the ongoing conflicts, he scolds, pointing the finger at the activities of the Islamic Republic.
