Siege of Gaza shames humanity: Former top EP official

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ISTANBUL

Israel’s blockade of Gaza is truly a “shame for humanity,” according to a former top European Union official.

“Israel is committing crimes every day, and it should be brought to the International Court of Justice because of over occupation of the 1967 territories,” Luisa Morgantini, former vice president of the European Parliament, told Anadolu Agency in an interview.

Morgantini said she really hopes the international community will be able to reach a truce and stop the “slaughter” of people in Gaza.

“It is not a victory when you see people are dying as they die in when you see all the houses have been destroyed,” she stressed.

The current situation is a “shame for the international community,” which allows Israel to always play the role of victim and not be held accountable for its actions, she argued.

She said she hopes the international community can change its approach and try to understand the Palestinian needs, which would serve the cause of freedom and justice.

“I really think it is necessary for Palestinians to be united to not allow Israel to play the game of dividing them from each other,” stressed Morgantini, who spent a decade -- 1999-2009 -- as European Parliament vice president.

Israel society is growing more and more nationalistic, racist, and apartheid-like, she said.

“Palestine is unique and it should be united,” she said, adding that this is the responsibility of everybody -- not only the international but also the Palestinians themselves.

Netanyahu ‘worst thing for both sides’

Morgantini decried the “very bad role” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Mideast quandary, saying: “I think that Netanyahu is the worst thing that happened to both: Israel and the Palestinians.”

She said she is not sure if Netanyahu stepping down would improve the situation, but that the international community should intervene, arguing: “Enough is enough, it is time for the Palestinians to be free.”

She said the international community should also give voice to Israelis who are opposed to colonization, and who say “occupation kills all of us.”