.jpg)
.jpg)
Alex Agius Saliba explains why he didn’t attend EP solemn ceremony for Israel
The Labour MEP condemned Hamas’s actions, but said he can never approve the killing of innocent Palestinians by the Israeli state
11 October 2023, 2:37pm
Nicole Meilak
Nicole Meilak
1 min read
Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba gives his take on the recent escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict
Alex Agius Saliba chose not to attend a solemn ceremony outside the European Parliament on Wednesday showing solidarity with the victims of Hamas, instead saying he can never approve the “massacare of innocent Palestinian people by the Israeli state”.
In a Facebook post, the Labour MEP said that he condemns Hamas’s recent attack on Israel, which left 1,200 people dead and more than 3,000 injured.
However, he continued that he “can never, in the same way, approve the massacre by the Israeli state of innocent Palestinians, in particular innocent people stuck in the Gaza strip”.
“Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, a nation that suffered a lot under the yoke of modern colonialism and the extremist group it has within it.”
He added that, had the European Parliament president placed Palestinian, Israeli and European flags next to each other for the ceremony and called for peace in the region, “I would have been the first to participate”.
“Solidarity with the Israeli people killed in a most barbaric way. But in the same way, solidarity also with the innocent people in the Gaza strip that are being killed mercilessly by Israeli forces under the pretence of retaliation against Hamas.”
On Wednesday, the EU’s highest officials gathered outside the European Parliament for a ‘solemn moment’ to remember the victims killed in Hamas’s attack on Israel.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel were joined by MEPs and the Israeli ambassador to the EU Haim Regev for the ceremony on Wednesday.
READ ALSO | Metsola on Hamas attacks: ‘Not the time for whataboutism. This is terror in its worst form
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.
Nicole Meilak is deputy online editor and IĠM press awards (Most Promising Journalist) wi...
More in Ewropej 2024
