Belgian member of the European Parliament Marc Botenga from the Left Group answered questions about Israel's inhumane practices towards Palestinians and the stance of European countries at the parliament.
Regarding the events in Gaza, Botenga noted, "We are witnessing bloody attacks, ethnic cleansing of a kind we haven't seen for a long time, civilian massacres on a scale we haven't seen in decades. Most of the casualties are women and children. All of this clearly says that this is a war against the entire people."
Botenga pointed out that from a European perspective, it's hard to even imagine what's happening, recalling the story of Hind Receb, a six-year-old girl whose family was killed in an Israeli attack and whose ambulance was targeted while trying to rescue her.
Rather than talking about the number of casualties, Botenga stressed the importance of knowing their stories and faces because they are human beings, saying, "They are being killed en masse. It's also extremely shocking emotionally."
Botenga expressed that holding Israel accountable for genocide is "logical and normal," stating, "If you look at what's happening (in Gaza) and the different dimensions of the genocide definition, you can't say anything other than that these are genocidal policies."
He continued, "Targeting children, families, and other things in Gaza. Of course, these are genocidal practices. When we talk about ethnic cleansing, it's not only in Gaza. There are also neighborhoods in the West Bank and Jerusalem completely taken over by Israeli settlers."
Botenga expressed hope regarding the process in the International Court of Justice, saying, "The mobilization is what makes the real difference. We need a ceasefire as soon as possible. We need to pressure our governments because Israel won't stop. We have seen that the stance of governments in Europe can be changed by mobilization."
Referring to Belgium's cancellation of licenses for factories exporting military equipment to Israel, Botenga noted, "We've seen Ireland, Spain also talking about such measures. Without concrete pressure on Israel, nothing will change."
Botenga emphasized, "Today, there are still weapons going from the EU to Israel through European countries' territories. Sending weapons to Israel is direct complicity in genocide. Let's look at the Partnership Agreement between the EU and Israel. This is a trade and economic agreement. It gives Israel access to the European market. It's impossible to say today that the agreement is legitimate because the agreement itself talks about human rights. Article 2 says that this agreement is based on respect for human rights. Today, we can't say that Israel respects human rights. So, the agreement should be cancelled."
