GENEVA

Belgian lawmaker Marc Botenga on Thursday accused the EU of applying "selective" condemnations, saying abuses are overlooked when "the culprits are your friends in Tel Aviv and Washington."

Addressing the European Parliament's plenary session on the death penalty in Iran, Botenga said children in Iran, Lebanon and Palestine are being killed or found barely alive under the rubble of their homes every day, yet "their lives, their deaths do not deserve a clear condemnation."

"And why? Because the perpetrators are your friends in Tel Aviv and Washington," he stressed.

He also criticized the EU’s focus on Iran’s death penalty while ignoring developments elsewhere.

"Even more striking is the fact that on the very day Israel passed a law allowing the execution by hanging of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, you only have time for a debate about the death penalty in Iran," he said and asked: "Why this selectivity?"

He noted that he is against such executions no matter where they take place, denouncing what he described as selective outrage.

Botenga argued that the EU condemns Russia’s war in Ukraine but "supports the United States bombing Iran," and criticizes some governments while maintaining ties with others accused of abuses. He also said the bloc condemns Russia’s occupation of Ukraine but "supports Israel, which occupies Palestine and Lebanon."

"We criticize our adversaries for what we blithely allow our allies to do, and then we go and shake hands, all smiles, in Tel Aviv and Washington," he said.

He warned that such "double standards" risk fueling instability, saying Europe’s approach is "not only a disgrace" but also contributes to "a world of chaos and war."

"This Europe is not a force for good but an accomplice to crime," he concluded.