Sinn Féin MEP Chris MacManus has expressed his regret about today’s missed opportunity in the European Parliament to help bring about a ceasefire in Gaza and contribute to the building of a durable and just solution to the conflict.

He said:

“Anybody who is serious about addressing the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is calling for a ceasefire. I fully support the efforts of UN Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez in this regard.

“The European Parliament in its resolution could have followed the lead of the Dáil in calling for a ceasefire but decided not to take that opportunity, instead giving cover to the Israeli government’s continued onslaught on the people of Gaza.

“The call for a humanitarian pause, while welcome in itself, invites the Israeli government to take a short break from bombing hospitals and schools, but gives a green light to them to resume the longer-term massacre of civilians in Gaza.

“The resolution rightly condemned the horrific attacks by Hamas, but failed to call out Israel for its continued occupation and breaches of international law.

“This is a blow to the people of Gaza, who have a right to expect the international community to defend and protect them in line with International law.

“It is also a blow to the people of Ireland – and many other member states – who have a right to expect the EU to stand up for the rights of Palestinians.

“It is now up to countries like Ireland to take the lead in building an international alliance to, in the first instance, bring about a ceasefire, and then to engage with all parties to bring about a just and durable solution to the conflict.”