European Commissioner Gaza genocide

Paris (dpa) — European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera characterized Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip as “genocide,” highlighting what she called “Europe’s failure” to act collectively and speak with one voice in comments on Thursday.

“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,” she said.

Ribera’s statement was part of her speech at prestigious French university Sciences Po.

Ribera, who is responsible for competition policy and the green transition, is a Socialist and told news site Politico last month that “If it is not genocide, it looks very much like the definition used to express its meaning,” in comments about Gaza.

So far, the commission has mainly warned of Israel’s violation of human rights and urged compliance with international law, steering clear of the term “genocide.”

But several parliamentary group leaders of the European Parliament recently also accused Israel of genocide.

Israel and the German government reject the accusation of genocide. According to the UN Convention, the term genocide refers to “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”

An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman dismissed Ribera’s statement as baseless and unacceptable, accusing her of having made herself “a mouthpiece for Hamas propaganda.”

The ministry statement said: “Instead of parroting the ‘genocide’ legend spread by Hamas, Ribera should have demanded the release of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas so that the war can be ended.”

Israel is fighting Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, which has largely been reduced to rubble by Israel’s devastating operations.

The war was triggered by the massacre by Hamas and other extremists from the Gaza Strip in Israel on October 7 2023, with 1,200 dead and about 250 abducted.

Since then, more than 64,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the local health authority controlled by Hamas, in figures that the UN considers credible.

Criticism of Israel is mounting given the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and as Israel expands its military operations there.