During a visit to the occupied territories on Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was chastised for not explicitly calling on "Israel" to abide by international law.

Von der Leyen paid a visit to the settlement of "Kfar Azza" where Hamas unleashed its Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

According to an anonymous diplomat, Von Der Leyen did not speak the line that member states agreed on, rather she "simply said 'Israel' has the right to defend itself, full stop."

Many European leftist parties have criticized the leaders of their countries who expressed solidarity with "Israel" after the Palestinian Resistance launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in response to the never-ending Israeli aggression and crimes against Palestinians.

The EU Commission President, while standing by Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed that she knew "Israel" would respond to the operation of the Palestinian Resistance in a way that "shows it is a democracy."

Von der Leyen's remarks only underline her willful ignorance and complete bias. 

The President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola joined Von Der Leyen.

Iratxe García, the leader of the Socialists and Democrats group in the Parliament, supported the visit by the two presidents but underlined that they "failed" to represent the entire union during their visit and represent member states, accusing them of "upholding an unacceptable bias that can only cause harm."

After much backlash, President Charles Michel stated he "condemned indiscriminate attacks against civilians," in a call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. 

A crime against humanity

Paula Gaviria Betancur, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, expressed in a statement Friday that “forcible population transfers constitute a crime against humanity, and collective punishment is prohibited under international humanitarian law."

The Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, initially scheduled for the weekend, was postponed for a few days, primarily allegedly due to adverse weather conditions that would have complicated the task of Israeli pilots and drone operators providing air support to ground forces, The New York Times reported, citing three senior Israeli military officials who provided non-classified information about the operation.

The Israeli military is making preparations for a forthcoming invasion of the Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands of troops have been directed "to take control of Gaza City," as per the report.

Nathalie Loiseau, a senior French MEP stated on X: “Madame von der Leyen … You are forgetting an important message: Israel must respect international humanitarian law.” 

Madame @vonderleyen :
- oui nous sommes des amis d’Israël et nous soutenons le peuple israélien dans l’épreuve
- oui 🇮🇱 a le droit de se défendre contre des terroristes sanguinaires
- vous oubliez un message important : 🇮🇱 doit respecter le droit international humanitaire.
- je… https://t.co/XC7o0EPoGZ

— Nathalie Loiseau (@NathalieLoiseau) October 14, 2023

EU foreign ministers asked "Israel" last Tuesday not to cut "water, food, or electricity" to Gaza and called for humanitarian corridors for people attempting to evacuate the Gaza Strip, according to EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

The EU’s top diplomat said "Israel’s" actions in Gaza already may have breached international law, as he underlined the need for the EU to continue the funding for Palestine.

Jonathan Rosenzweig, the deputy chief of mission at "Israel’s" mission to the EU, called the criticisms "absurd" and reiterated false Israeli claims of civilians raped and beheaded.

While Western and Israeli media contiue to spread fake news about the #Palestinian Resistance, here are some of the stories that the mainstream media won't talk about.#Palestine #Gaza pic.twitter.com/RLq6fitxha

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 14, 2023