Von der Leyen: Israel's military escalation in Gaza 'cannot be justified'
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen spoke out against Israel's renewed offensive in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, during a telephone conversation with Jordan's King Abdullah II.
“The European Commission has always supported – and will continue to support – Israel's right to security and self-defence, but this escalation and disproportionate use of force against civilians cannot be justified under humanitarian and international law,” Von der Leyen said during the call, according to a read-out published by the Commission.
She addressed recent airstrikes on a school in Gaza City. “The expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza targeting civilian infrastructure, among them a school that served as a shelter for displaced Palestinian families, killing civilians, including children, is abhorrent,” she said.
Von der Leyen called on Israel to "put an immediate halt on the current escalation" and allow large-scale humanitarian aid for the population of the Palestinian territory, with the participation of the United Nations and other humanitarian partners. She also reiterated her call on the Palestinian "terrorist organisation" Hamas to unconditionally release all hostages.
Von der Leyen is the latest European leader to take a tougher tone against Israel in recent days. On Monday, German chancellor Friedrich Merz strongly criticised Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, asking "for what purpose the civilian population is hurt to this extent".
Criticism of Israel is also mounting in Belgium. "My personal opinion is that this is very similar to genocide. I don't know what else has to happen before we dare use that word," Foreign minister Maxime Prévot said in an interview with Humo on Tuesday.
"Formally, it is up to the judiciary to make that determination, but at Les Engagés, we indeed see this as a genocide," party president Yvan Verougstraete later told Le Soir. Les Engagés is the third governing party to describe the Gaza conflict as genocide, following Vooruit and CD&V.
© PHOTO NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP
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