European lawmakers push for urgent debate on Palestine, warn against Israel using Iran conflict as 'cover'

BRUSSELS

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on Wednesday called on the European Parliament president and political group leaders to schedule an urgent debate on Palestine during the next plenary session, warning that Israel may exploit regional conflicts as "cover" for further occupation.

Lynn Boylan, chair of the Delegation for Relations with Palestine and member of the Left group, along with three lawmakers from different political groups, held a press conference in Brussels on the urgent situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the lack of debate in the European Parliament.

Boylan highlighted the rapidly "deteriorating situation" in the occupied Palestinian territories, stressing that "as Israel and the United States attack Iran, Israel will do what it has always done and use this as cover to expand its occupation of Palestinian land and its system of apartheid against the Palestinian people."

Boylan pointed to ongoing illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank, rising settler violence backed by the Israeli state, and legislative changes in Israel that threaten Palestinian land rights.

She urged consideration of measures including a suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and a two-way arms embargo, citing ongoing violations of EU principles.

MEPs from across the political spectrum echoed the call for parliamentary action.

Italian lawmaker Cecilia Strada of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats emphasized that "parliament must raise the level of pressure when the European Commission refuses to take action," citing annexation plans, the death penalty bill under discussion in the Israeli parliament, and restrictions on NGOs.

"We are the guardians of the commission. If we abdicate our role of guardians of the commission, we give up on our mission as parliamentarians and fail our voters," she said.

Irish MEP Barry Andrews of the Renew Group described the situation in Gaza over the past two and a half years as the "worst example of breaches of international humanitarian law we have seen in decades," urging European lawmakers to keep the issue at the forefront despite challenges.

Spanish lawmaker Ana Miranda Paz of the Greens Group stressed the need for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza and called for debates both inside and outside the European Parliament to uphold international law and demonstrate EU commitment to human rights.

Paz criticized the European Parliament for its "different standards," saying: "We've all never been granted the possibility of having a simple minute (of) silence over the last years, and a minute's silence for the over 80,000 Palestinians who have been killed by Israel."