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Calls grow for EU chief to resign over pro-Israel bias

Tuesday, 24 October 2023 8:05 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 24 October 2023 8:39 AM ]

A man holds a burning picture of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a rally in support of Palestinians in Athens, Greece, on October 18, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

Calls have been mounting on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to step down over her expressions of support for the Israeli regime, which has been committing act of genocide against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The European Realistic Disobedience Front or MeRA25, a left-wing Greek political party, has launched an online petition calling for von der Leyen’s immediate resignation, saying she has supported the sealing off of civilians in Gaza and the bombing of the besieged enclave under the guise of “defense” without a mandate from EU member states.

“While EU member states, the UN and other international bodies have acknowledged the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza…, President von der Leyen has explicitly expressed unilateral solidarity with Israel,” read the petition, which has so far garnered over 23,000 signatures.

“The president’s attitude towards Israel is in stark contrast to her condemnation of similar actions in the past... This is application of international law as it sees fit, which undermines the EU’s moral authority.”

It also noted that von der Leyen’s pro-Israel stance disregards international law and the democratic mandate of EU member states.

Among the signatories is Yanis Varoufakis, a Greek politician who is also Secretary General of Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25).

“Mrs. von der Leyen, incompetence we can tolerate. But cheerleading, on behalf of Europeans, war crimes: that we shall not tolerate,” Varoufakis said in a video posted on his X account.

"Mrs. von der Leyen, incompetence we can tolerate. But cheerleading, on behalf of Europeans, war crimes: that we shall not tolerate".

Join @yanisvaroufakis and thousands of others and demand Ursula von der Leyen's immediate resignation: https://t.co/5doKf9xMvm pic.twitter.com/SfxbAnD7zI
— DiEM25 (@DiEM_25) October 23, 2023

On October 13, von der Leyen traveled to the occupied territories and met with Israeli president Isaac Herzog.

“We are friends of Israel. When friends are under attack, we stand by them,” she wrote in an X post that day.

Media embarrassed by #EU support for #Israeli Genocide in #Gaza pretend EU always stood for Peace - Total nonsense. EU refused to promote Dialogue + Diplomacy in Ukraine, oblivious to numbers dying + EU took part in Imperialist Wars in #Afghanistan #Iraq #Libya #Syria #Yemen... https://t.co/ZvTmVK5q2y
— Mick Wallace (@wallacemick) October 23, 2023

Meanwhile, more than 840 staff members of the European Union institutions have written a letter to von der Leyen, expressing fury over her stance on Israel’s onslaught on Gaza.

They criticized the European Commission for giving “a free hand to the acceleration and the legitimacy of a war crime in the Gaza Strip.”

Nearly 800 EU staffers slam bloc’s chief for siding with Israel, cease to support for Palestinian statehood

Nearly 800 staffers of the EU have denounced the bloc’s chief for being too partisan toward Israel and refraining from support for Palestinian statehood.

Israel waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity.

The Tel Aviv regime has killed over 5,087 Palestinians, including 2,055 children, and injured 15,273.

It has also blocked water, food and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal sliver into a humanitarian crisis.

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