ISTANBUL
The European Parliament’s Left group condemned an Israeli attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla late Wednesday, criticizing the European Union for its “weak” action against Israel amid its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
In a statement, The Left called for the immediate release of all captives, including parliamentarians Rima Hassan and Emma Fourreau as well as local and national party representatives, adding it had no update on their location or safety since the flotilla’s livestream was cut.
Calling for “immediate and direct” EU action against the Gaza genocide, the group said “it is unconscionable for the European Union and its Member States to continue to allow Israel to act with impunity as it attacks elected representatives and openly perpetrates war crimes.”
“The actions of the volunteers on board contrast sharply with the inaction and cowardice of Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission,” it said, noting that it took the European Commission president 23 months to propose basic sanctions against Israel, without mentioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.
“Her genocide denial will go down in history,” it added.
The Left reiterated its demand for a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, the imposition of sanctions on everyone implicated in the genocide, measures to hold Netanyahu accountable at the ICC, and the total suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
Lynn Boylan, chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Palestine, said this marked the third recent instance of Israel “kidnapping” activists delivering aid to Gaza, with the flotilla’s crew acting where world leaders are “too cowardly” to break Israel’s illegal blockade and help Gaza.
“As world leaders moot a so-called ‘peace plan,’ Israel is continuing to violate international law and commit genocide. The EU must sanction Israel and ensure that they are held to account for their war crimes. Furthermore, the EU and Member States must ensure that all those kidnapped are released and that no harm comes to them,” she said.
The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail at the end of August and was expected to reach Gaza’s coast Thursday morning under normal circumstances.
This marked the first time in years that around 50 ships have sailed together toward Gaza, carrying 532 civilian supporters from over 45 countries to the enclave of 2.4 million Palestinians, which has been under an Israeli blockade for roughly 18 years.
The Israeli army has killed over 66,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.