Most MEPs vote against describing Gaza as genocide

The majority of MEPs in the European Parliament voted against describing Israeli actions in Gaza as a genocide.

The results on Thursday (11 September) follow an amendment tabled by the Left that had also demanded EU cease all forms of assistance that enable the atrocity.

But with 171 in favour, 378 against, and 34 abstentions, the amendment was outright rejected as part of a larger non-binding resolution on Gaza.

The entire leading centre-right European People's Party voted against the amendment, as did most MEPs from the liberal Renew Europe.

It was also opposed by most MEPs sitting with far-right political forces spanning the Patriots for Europe, Europe of Sovereign Nations and the European Conservatives and Reformists Party.

A smaller handful from the Greens and socialists also voted against.

While the amendment failed, the ensuing resolution called for an immediate ceasefire, an end to Israel's humanitarian blockage, and the release of Hamas-held Israeli hostages.

However, earlier this month, leading scholars designated Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars said Israeli policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide.

The term was defined in the 1948 Geneva Convention as acts “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”

Commission vice-president Teresa Ribeira had also called it genocide, as did a classified EU foreign service study of Gaza this past June.

The European Commission has itself refused to take a stand on the term.

Instead, European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, in her state of the union speech, suggested Israel was weaponising hunger.

And earlier this week, the UK government has also refused to use the term.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague last year said there is a plausible case of genocide but has yet to draw a definitive conclusion.

For its part, Israel says the designation is equivalent to "blood libel" amid claims it is Hamas-led propaganda, following the terror group's October 2023 killing spree of mostly Israeli nationals.

Over 60,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the enclave with many in the grip of famine and starvation.

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