Speaking after the European Parliament debate on Gaza where a statement was made on behalf of High Representative of the EU, Catherine Ashton, Socialist Party / United Left Alliance MEP Paul Murphy who participated in the 2011 Flotilla in order to break the siege of Gaza commented:
“The people of Gaza have suffered under a horrific Israeli onslaught, which has now killed almost 150 Palestinians in the last week and four Israelis.
“Unfortunately, the leaders of the EU have continued their policy of crocodile tears for the Palestinians combined with effective support for Israeli actions. The statement from the Foreign Affairs Council of the EU repeats the line of Israel’s ‘right to protect its population’, thereby accepting the right-wing Israeli narrative about this offensive. This onslaught has nothing to do with the security of ordinary Israelis, and everything to do with the right-wing Israeli establishment, which is seeking to increase support in advance of January’s general election.
“I oppose Hamas and the other right wing political Islamic grouping and do not support the rockets into Israel which costs the lives of innocent Israeli civilians, but the international political establishment should not be allowed to rewrite the history of this conflict. The true timeline of these events indicates that this upsurge in violence happened after a 12 year old Palestinian was killed while he played soccer.
“On 26 October Netanyahu announced that his Likud party will join forces with the ultra nationalist and ultra right wing forces of Avigdor Liebermann´s Yisrael Beiteinu party for the upcoming elections on 22 January. Netanyahu´s government has become increasingly unpopular in Israel due to its anti – social policies and has faced mass mobilisations of discontent by Israeli working class people and youth. The mobilisations of reservists and to play the card of fear are part of the electoral strategy of Netanyahu. Israeli and Palestinian workers and youth must not pay the price for this.
“I salute the Israeli anti-war movement and in particular the “refuseniks” in the Israeli Army who see through Netnayahu´s propaganda and have taken enormous courage in refusing to serve in the attack on Gaza.
“I welcome the announcement of a ceasefire. A real and lasting peace will only be built by a new mass struggle from below by the Palestinian people to achieve a viable Palestinian state, linking up with Israeli workers and poor against the common enemy of the right-wing Israeli establishment. Such a new struggle could join in with the revolutionary processes taking place in the region, and fight for a socialist solution in the Middle East, with a socialist Palestine and Israel as part of a socialist confederation.”
