European Socialists: “Netanyahu is committing genocide in Gaza; suspend the Association Agreement with Israel”

from our correspondent in Strasbourg – “As the S&D Group, we are calling for the full suspension of the EU-Israel agreement in response to Netanyahu’s genocide in Gaza.” The chair of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, Iratxe García Pérez, openly criticises the Israeli government’s actions in the Palestinian territories and calls on the European Union to make a genuine, credible change of course. She calls for the EU to show determination and firmness, and above all, the ability to act. 

The Socialist Group has secured a topical debate in the Chamber on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the State of Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2024. The subject of the debate is “The EU’s role in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the accountability of Israel under international law.” An event that is scheduled for tomorrow (8 July), immediately following the voting session. García Pérez, however, breaks the deadlock and offers a glimpse of the Socialists’ position, which is critical of both the European Union and the Israeli government.

https://www.eunews.it/en/2026/06/26/interview-genocide-in-gaza-chris-sidoti-un-children-are-being-dehumanised/

“The EU’s failure to act is what allows Netanyahu to continue crossing every red line,” the chair of the S&D Group denounced at the traditional press conference organised to set out the group’s priorities ahead of the plenary session. The reference is to the EU Council’s inability to reach the necessary unanimity, with Italy’s complicity, to block the Association Agreement with the Tel Aviv government. The most the European Union has been able to achieve is sanctions against violent settlers – far too little for the Socialists. Because, in their view, this procrastination allows Israel to act above international and humanitarian law – a situation that is no longer tolerable, at least for some members of the European Parliament. 

“We called for this debate on Gaza because the newspapers do not report on it on a daily basis, but the disaster continues,” says García Pérez, who is fed up with the condemnations, of which there has been no shortage, but for which nothing truly effective has followed. Hence, the hope for a change of course: “We trust that the Irish Presidency will help on this front.”