“Hamas must be eliminated, and Hezbollah and the IRGC put on the European terrorist list”

In the resolution adopted today, the European Parliament condemns Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians in the strongest possible terms and stresses Israel’s right to self-defence within the contours of international humanitarian law. MEP Assita Kanko supports the text, which leaves nothing to doubt: “Parliament unequivocally sides with the victims and with human dignity and refers to Islamic terrorism by its name. The hostages must be released unconditionally, and those responsible for Hamas’ terrorist acts against civilians in Israel must be brought to justice.”

“7 October 2023 was the deadliest day for Jews since the Shoah. Hamas is an Islamic terror organisation. The left must also be clear about this,” says Assita Kanko. Furthermore, she stresses that the European Commission still has no answer to the question about the final destination of European humanitarian money to Gaza: “Does the Commission truly know where that money ends up? If it turns out that Europe is financing terror, directly or indirectly, then the money tap must be turned off. The European Commission must urgently have this thoroughly investigated and inform Parliament about it. We must be 100% certain that our support only reaches the local population, not Hamas or other terrorists.”

Humanitarian aid

There is great concern about the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip: “Hamas’ cynicism towards its own civilian population in Gaza, which it abuses as a shield against an Israeli military response, must be denounced and the civilian population in Gaza must receive humanitarian aid.”

Clumsy communication

The new violence in the Middle East works out well for several countries and raises questions about their involvement with Hamas. For example, Russia, which hopes military and financial support to Ukraine is made more difficult, or the Iranian regime, which wants to slow down the Abraham Accords and an understanding between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Kanko: “The EU will have to collaborate on a strategy to prevent the conflict from spreading, to de-escalate it and continue to promote stability in the region and eventually resume a dialogue on a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. The Commission’s clumsy communication at the start of this conflict indicates that the EU must improve coordination in this regard.”

Incorrect reports

“It is important for a renewed dialogue in the longer term to put an end to misrepresentations of the parties in education and on social media, which should prevent incorrect reports about the current conflict. Furthermore, the conflict must be prevented from seeping into our societies, as recently happened in Arras and Brussels. The terrorist organisation Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspirations,” says Kanko.

The EU list of terrorist organisations

Parliament condemns Iran’s destabilising role in the region as well as its support for its proxy Hezbollah in the context of the attacks. “The entire Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah must urgently be placed on the EU list of terrorist organisations,” Assita Kanko says. Parliament also calls for a thorough investigation into the role of Iran and other countries, such as Qatar and Russia, in financing and supporting terrorism in the region.