Ruptly
"A heated exchange erupted in the European Parliament on Tuesday as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and French MEP Manon Aubry clashed over the bloc’s response to Israel and the war in Gaza. During a plenary session in Strasbourg, Aubry accused the European Union of failing to impose meaningful sanctions on Israel despite mounting criticism over the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories. Addressing Kallas directly, Aubry questioned the 'feigned delicacy' of why the EU had moved swiftly to sanction Russia over Ukraine while failing to adopt similar measures against Israel. “Is the life of a Palestinian worth less than the life of a Ukrainian? I tell you this with anger. Because you see, for two years, we have been fed up with these discussions. And what we want are actions and sanctions. And you will go down in history as having blood, the blood of Palestinians, on your hands as long as you have not put an end to this complicity,” Aubry said. The confrontation escalated after Kallas pushed back against the criticism, telling Aubry she “really needs a crash course on how the European Union works.” Kallas argued that sanctions policy within the EU depends on unanimous support from member states, unlike the broad consensus that existed regarding Russia. "On Russia, everybody is agreeing," Kallas said as Aubry attempted to interrupt, prompting the foreign policy chief to ask parliamentary officials: "Can she yell at me?!" Kallas also defended the EU’s support for Palestine, saying the bloc remains one of the largest international financial donors to Palestinian aid programmes. The exchange reflected growing tensions inside the European Parliament over the EU’s handling of the conflict, with some lawmakers accusing Brussels of double standards in foreign policy. The criticism comes after the EU recently adopted a limited sanctions package targeting violent Israeli settlers and extremist groups in the West Bank, while failing to secure a consensus among member states on suspending or revising the EU-Israel Association Agreement."
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