ISTANBUL

A Belgian member of the European Parliament accused Europe of continuing to support Israel despite what he calls genocide in Palestine, saying he saw this during his recent visit to the West Bank, despite Israel's attempts to "prevent the world from seeing what’s happening."

Marc Botenga described the destruction of economic life and widespread humiliation of Palestinians through violence and fear, caused by Israel’s actions in Gaza and its efforts to conceal its operations in other parts of Palestine.

Speaking to Anadolu, Botenga, a Left group MEP, shared his observations on Israel’s violations of human rights during his visit, his participation in protests in the EP over the killing of children in Gaza, and his views on Kaja Kallas, the incoming EU foreign policy chief.

An outspoken critic of the EU’s stance toward Israel since the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, Botenga has led several protests. He explained his decision to visit Palestine personally to document what Israel is trying to conceal from the global public and to show solidarity with the Palestinian people.

“We planned it because you know that Israel is hiding very much what they’re doing in Gaza, so they’re killing journalists there, keeping them out to prevent the world from seeing what’s happening. But also in the West Bank, they are doing many things they’re trying to hide. So our mission was to go and see what is ongoing there,” he said.

Botenga described their trip, starting at the Jordanian border, and their visits to Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah, the South Hebron Hills, and Masafariyata, where he said ethnic cleansing is ongoing. He also cited a poignant moment in Khusra, in the West Bank, where they went to support Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest.

“The Israeli army and settlers blocked this. As soon as we arrived to help the farmers with their olives, the Israeli army fired tear gas and stun grenades to chase us away,” he said.

Tension has been running high in the West Bank due to Israel’s ongoing brutal war on the Gaza Strip, now in its second year, which has killed some 44,000 people, most of them women and children.

Nearly 785 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,400 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

In July, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Still no clear condemnation of genocide from European Parliament

Botenga, along with a group of lawmakers and activists, last week protested after the UN reported that over 13,000 children had been killed in Israel’s ongoing Gaza offensive since Oct. 7, 2023.

“We wanted the (European) Parliament, which still has not clearly condemned this genocide, to make a statement. With our colleagues from the left, Rima Hassan, we insisted on expressing this in a protest inside Parliament. We went to a place and showed a banner that read: ‘33 Palestinian children killed every day for a year. This cannot be considered self-defense. This is genocide’,” he said.

At Kallas’ presentation to the EP committees ahead of her confirmation, Botenga said he questioned her: “She considers Russia a terrorist state for its actions in Ukraine. But what about Israel? Over 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza. Would you call Israel a terrorist state and its army a terrorist army? Will you finally sanction Israel, as we have imposed 14 sanctions packages on Russia, yet there is not one against Israel?”

Botenga criticized Europe’s ongoing support for Israel, saying, “What is Europe doing? You’re still delivering weapons. This is unacceptable. I was very disappointed in her response,” calling it “evasive.”

*Writing by Efe Ozkan