Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected for a second term as President of the Commission. In her speech, she denounced the living conditions of Gazans since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
ADVERTISEMENTIt was a determined Ursula von der Leyen who appeared before the MEPs this Thursday. Having just been re-elected for a new 5-year term, the President of the European Commission presented her programme for the next five years to the European Parliament. And she notably mentioned the daily ordeal endured by the Gazans, 10 months after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
“I want to be very clear: the bloodshed in Gaza must stop now. Too many children, women and civilians have lost their lives because of Israel’s response to Hamas’ brutal terror. The people of Gaza can’t take it anymore. Humanity can’t take it anymore.” said Ursula von der Leyen.
As Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen has often been criticised for her pro-Israel stance. EU officials in Brussels often go on strike to express their disappointment. And here in Strasbourg, four Irish MEPs from the centrist Renew Europe group decided this week to go against their party line and vote against her re-election.
“I’ve read his policy briefs. I’ve listened to his contributions to our group meetings. But unfortunately, I haven’t heard enough to think that there’s a change in policy, particularly on Gaza. And we haven’t heard anything about trade deals. We haven’t heard anything about sanctions. We haven’t heard anything about settler violence. We haven’t heard anything about the International Court of Justice or the request for an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. Unfortunately, all of these questions have been sidestepped. We’ve made efforts to get answers, but they haven’t been forthcoming.” explains Barry Andrews, Irish MEP, member of the Renew Europe faction.
Barry Andrews has received thousands of letters from constituents on this issue. They are calling for an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister at the International Criminal Court. But the European Union remains deeply divided on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which may explain the weakness of this response.
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