The European Jewish Congress (EJC) said a resolution on the Gaza conflict adopted by the European Parliament on Thursday is “balanced” and “identifies with the suffering of civilian populations on both sides of the conflict.”
The EU parliament resolution, voted by a large majority of MEPs during the plenary session in Strasbourg, calls for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” in the Gaza strip.
It also calls on Hamas “to end rocket attacks and to assume its own responsibilities by committing itself to a political process aimed at restoring inter-Palestinian dialogue and contributing to the ongoing process of negotiation.”
“By avoiding a one-sided position, the European Parliament resolution enables the EU to remain a key interlocutor in the political dialogue that the EJC hopes will resume between Israel and Hamas” the European Jewish Congress said in statement.
Based in Paris, the EJC is a political umbrella organization that represents 42 European Jewish communities.
The EJC said it has been actively lobbying in Strasbourg for a parliamentary resolution that takes into account Hamas’ provocations and rocket attacks on Israeli civilians.
The EJC also urged the European institutions, in particular the EU Parliament, to pass a separate resolution that openly condemns the recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks that have been taking place throughout Europe.
“European authorities have a responsibility to speak out against the alarming recrudescence of anti-Semitism and condemn all anti-Semitic acts of violence and vandalism” the Jewish group said.
