'Genocide' question sharpening Gaza debate in European Parliament

The European Parliament is intensely debating whether to condemn Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip as "genocide" in an upcoming resolution, according to the parliament's president, Roberta Metsola.

“This is something that is being negotiated in the resolution right now,” she told the European Newsroom (enr) in an interview in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

On Thursday, the parliament will vote on a resolution calling for EU action to combat famine in Gaza, as well as the release of hostages held by Hamas and progress towards a two-state solution.

“There are some colleagues, and this is a reflection also of the member states, who say that this is a legal word that is used, and others who say the opposite,” Metsola said. “We will see what is the outcome of the negotiation on the resolution and the vote on Thursday,” she added.

The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide states that genocide is the deliberate targeting of population groups that differ from others in language, religion, or tradition, with the aim of destroying them in whole or in part.

In addition to killings, this includes acts that cause serious physical or mental harm, as well as the imposition of living conditions that could lead to the group’s physical destruction.

The convention also classifies the deliberate prevention of births or the abduction of children as genocide.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza, with the stated aim of destroying the Islamist group Hamas, was triggered by the terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which left around 1,200 people dead and more than 250 hostages abducted.

Since then, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority in the Gaza Strip, more than 64,500 Palestinians have been killed in the densely populated coastal zone, and most buildings there have been destroyed.

Israel has strongly rejected allegations that its campaign amounts to genocide, and is fighting a lawsuit brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide.

EU commissioner sparks controversy by saying 'genocide'

Last week, however, European Commissioner Teresa Ribera characterized Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip as exactly this.

At a speech at prestigious French university Sciences Po, she said: “The genocide in Gaza exposes Europe’s failure to act and speak with one voice even as protest spread across European cities and 14 United Nations Security Council members called for an immediate ceasefire."

The European Commission under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen quickly distanced itself from Ribera’s use of the term, emphasizing that she was not speaking on behalf of the EU’s executive arm when making the remarks.

The commission had no position on the question of genocide as it was up to the courts to decide, a spokeswoman said.

Metsola for her part emphasized that the worsening situation in Gaza is “a dominant concern of our citizens” as well as of members of the European Parliament representing them. “And they want answers” from the commission as well as from member state governments, she said.

“Very clearly we are the number one provider of humanitarian aid and it is clear to everybody that that aid is not arriving; that hostages have not been returned; and that we are seeing starvation, hunger and killing on an unprecedented scale,” she told the enr.

At the same time, she acknowledged that the European Parliament had limited scope for action on foreign policy issues. Sanctions against countries are decided by the EU member states. The resolutions passed by the parliament are not legally binding.

Metsola stressed however that “the situation cannot go on, it cannot.”

"Humanity must always remain the number one priority," she said.

Metsola expects the situation in Gaza to dominate Wednesday’s State of the Union debate, following von der Leyen’s address to the parliament. “There is huge expectation on what will be said,” Metsola said.

The content of this article is based on reporting as part of the European Newsroom (enr) project.