AN Irish MEP has blasted the newly re-elected president of the European Commission for her “hypocrisy on Israel” during a powerful speech in the European Parliament.
On Thursday, Ursula von der Leyen was re-elected as president of the European Commission following a secret ballot.
However, she has faced criticism in recent months due to her staunchly pro-Israel stance following the Hamas attack on October 7.
In the days following the attack, von der Leyen visited Israel and expressed the European Union’s support for the country, despite the quickly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
She claimed that “Europe stands with Israel” and had a “duty” to defend itself but was later rebuked by the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell who said her comments “left a huge geopolitical cost for Europe”.
READ MORE: Israel using water as 'weapon of war' as Gaza supply plummets
Her failure to speak out on the treatment of Palestinians in the early days of Israel’s assault on Gaza led to her being accused of showing “unacceptable bias” towards Israel by the leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament.
Sinn Fein MEP Layla Boylan added to the criticism of von der Leyen in a speech on Thursday ahead of the secret ballot.
“‘The rule of law is the glue that binds our union together’,” began Boylan as an expressionless von der Leyen looked on just a few feet away.
“Those are your words, Madam von der Leyen. So why is it, in your eyes, some people are more equal in law than others?
“Why is it that human rights are applicable in some conflicts, but not others?
“Why are the lives of Palestinians not worthy of the same human rights, the same international law, the same humanity?”
Today I was the only Irish MEP to speak during the Von Der Leyen debate. I called out her hypocrisy on Israel. Why are the lives of Palestinians not entitled to the same human rights, the same international laws, the same humanity? #NoVDL ##NoGenocide pic.twitter.com/EQzWaU48Qr
— Lynn Boylan 🍷📖🐾 (@LNBDublin) July 18, 2024
She continued:“We are witnessing the most documented genocide in history and still there are no consequences for Israel.
“When you declared Europe stands with Israel, when you stood shoulder to shoulder with Netanyahu, you greenlighted this genocide.
“The double standards, the hypocrisy with how you reacted to the conflict in Ukraine compared to Gaza has done untold damage on the world stage to the European Union.
“There has been no sanctions, no suspension of trade.
“In fact, EU money and arms continues to flow to Israel.
“40,000 civilians slaughtered, children burned alive in their tents and still no consequences.
“Colleagues, today say no to genocide and say no to von der Leyen.”
Despite the speech, von der Leyen was re-elected for another five-year term after securing the backing of 401 MEPs.
It comes after an Oxfam report found that Israel had been weaponizing water in Gaza by cutting off external supplies and methodically destroying water facilities.
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