"Collective Punishment and War Crime": 60 European MPs Demand Sanctions on Israel Over Its Actions in the West Bank
60 members of the European Parliament have called for an urgent meeting of EU foreign ministers to reach a consensus on imposing sanctions on Israel over its actions in the West Bank, which they described as collective punishment, home demolitions, and the displacement of families in Hebron. This came in a letter to foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
60 members of the European Parliament have called for an urgent meeting of EU foreign ministers to reach a consensus on imposing sanctions on the Israeli government over its actions in the West Bank, which they described as collective punishment, home demolitions, and the displacement of families in Hebron. This came in a letter sent by the lawmakers, who belong to various political groups in the European Parliament, to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday evening. The lawmakers said Israel imposed a siege on the occupied West Bank following the killing of two Israeli soldiers in the city of Hebron on October 23 of this month. They added that the Israeli measures amount to "collective punishment." The letter stated: "The Israeli government, through the use of collective punishment, which constitutes a war crime under international law, aims to entrench its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and escalate tensions further ahead of elections in Israel." The lawmakers pointed to the demolition of Palestinian homes in Hebron, giving some families no more than 5 minutes to evacuate their homes, noting that what is happening represents "a decisive turning point for the future of the West Bank and the viability of a Palestinian state." They stressed that the European Union "cannot remain silent" in the face of what they described as the broad Israeli attack on the West Bank. The lawmakers called on the bloc to condemn the Israeli actions, call for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the West Bank, and convene an urgent meeting of foreign ministers.