Teresa Ribera, in an interview on Spain’s Cadena Ser radio network, remarked, “The Commission mirrors national sensibilities. Institutionally, it shouldn’t be this way—it’s meant to be independent and represent EU interests, but the reality is everyone brings their cultural context and beliefs.” Ribera, from Spain—one of the EU’s most vocal critics of Israel’s war in Gaza—served as the country’s deputy prime minister when Madrid recognized Palestinian statehood last year.
She noted the EU ambassadors’ refusal to back Brussels’ proposal to limit Israel’s access to the Horizon Europe research program highlighted the bloc’s division on the issue. Ribera pointed out a lack of consensus among EU Commissioners for stronger actions like suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement or sanctioning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel commenced its military offensive in October 2023 following a Hamas attack that killed over 1,000 people on Israeli soil. Palestinian health authorities reported over 60,000 deaths in Gaza from Israel’s military actions, with nearly a third being minors. UN-backed food security experts warned of a “worst-case scenario of famine” due to Israeli restrictions on aid into the region.
Ribera compared the suffering in Gaza to the Jewish plight during the Holocaust in the Warsaw Ghetto, criticizing the EU for inaction amid “one of the worst humanitarian scandals in history,” and expressed that “history will not look the other way.”
“We are racing against time with people dying of hunger,” she said, urging Europe to act and solidify its role as a political entity to uphold the ideals that inspired the EU’s creation.
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