A letter accuses Israeli lawmaker Amit Halevi of “dehumanising statements” in direction of Palestinians and urges EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola to bar him from collaborating in an upcoming convention.
Thirty-six members of the European Parliament have opposed internet hosting an Israeli colleague.
Amit Halevi from Likud, the identical celebration as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was invited by Dutch MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group to take part in a convention on the Iranian regime.
The occasion, organised by the Israel Alliance Basis in cooperation with the ECR group, is ready to be held within the European Parliament in Brussels at 13.30 native time on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, a letter signed by 36 MEPs, obtained by Euronews, urges European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to bar Halevi from attending.
The letter was initiated by Dutch Greens/EFA MEP Tineke Strik, in collaboration with Slovenian Socialist MEP Matjaž Nemec and Irish Renew Europe MEP Barry Andrews. The signatories embrace members from the Socialists and Democrats, Greens/EFA, Renew Europe, and The Left teams.
Proponents argue that Amit Halevi’s participation in an occasion on the European Parliament would violate key ideas, together with disinterest, integrity, openness, diligence, honesty, accountability, and respect for the establishment’s dignity and fame.
The objection stems from “extraordinarily regarding, dehumanizing, and even genocidal statements” that Halevi has made in current months. The letter highlights a number of of his controversial remarks from the previous yr.
In an interview, Halevi claimed, “Within the Al-Shifa Hospital, they caught 150 terrorists and killed them. On the similar time, 300 terrorists have been born within the maternity ward,” implying that kids born in Al-Shifa would inevitably turn out to be terrorists.
In the identical interview, he defended that “There’s nothing referred to as Palestinian folks, by no means was, and can by no means be.” and that “From the river to the ocean, the nationwide rights are just for one folks, the nation of Israel”.
In a Fb publish, reported by native newspaper Arutz Sheva, he claimed that every one the Palestinian folks belong to 2 classes. “There are Palestinians who help Hamas’s Nazi training and Palestinians who function human shields for them. We will and should bomb each.”
The letter additionally reminds that Halevi has launched legislative proposals within the Israeli Knesset to annex and resettle Gaza, whereas expelling its civilian inhabitants. “If every nation takes in 5,000-6,000 households, many of the drawback is solved”, he stated in keeping with Israeli Radio103.
The signatories of the letter have urged President Metsola to “defend the dignity and fame of this home” by stopping Halevi from becoming a member of the panel dialogue.
“The president can all the time restrict entry to people from coming into the Parliament by denying that particular person accreditation”, MEP Nemec advised Euronews.
“We additionally reached out to the organiser however acquired no concrete response as to the doable change of the contributors of the occasion”.
Nevertheless, MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen, the convention organiser, defends Halevi’s participation and stated he’s “wanting ahead to assembly him within the convention tomorrow, with different visitors”, in a written reply to Euronews.
Ruissen’s workplace additional claims that one of many quotes attributed to Halevi within the letter was misreported and that he has by no means endorsed killing kids.
EP President Roberta Metsola has not commented on the letter but.
