Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez yesterday became the most prominent European leader to describe the situation in Gaza as a “genocide”, as rescuers in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory said Israeli strikes on a school housing displaced families in Gaza City and a tent encampment in Khan Younis killed 56 people.
After more than 20 months of devastating conflict, rights groups say Gaza’s population of more than two million face famine-like conditions. Israel, meanwhile, is pressing its bombardment of the territory.
Sanchez said Gaza was in a “catastrophic situation of genocide” and urged the European Union to immediately suspend its co-operation deal with Israel.
The comments represent the strongest condemnation to date by Sanchez, an outspoken critic of Israel’s offensive who is one of the first European leaders, and the most senior, to use the term “genocide” to describe the situation in Gaza.
Speaking ahead of an EU summit in Brussels, Sanchez mentioned an EU report which found “indications” Israel was breaching its rights obligations under the co-operation deal, which forms the basis for trade ties.
The text cited Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territory, the high number of civilian casualties, attacks on journalists and the massive displacement and destruction caused by the war.
Meanwhile, ‘Israeli’ farmers and food exporters are reporting a sharp rise in boycott efforts against their agricultural products across Europe, according to a report published by the Hebrew outlet Ynet.
The growing backlash, triggered by ongoing public opposition to ‘Israel’s’ war in Gaza, has led to both formal and informal actions by major retailers, with some suppliers even noting hesitations from markets as far as Japan.
The Ynet report cited exporters saying that European countries like Belgium and Ireland have effectively begun boycotting ‘Israeli’ produce. In recent weeks, Italy’s and the UK’s Co-op chains announced they would stop selling ‘Israeli’ products, and now other retailers – such as the UK’s Waitrose and Germany’s Aldi – are reportedly following suit, even without public declarations.
“For six weeks now, Aldi has been doing everything possible to avoid buying from us,” a potato exporter said. “In the past two weeks, we’re hearing louder voices calling for a boycott in Germany, and that’s new.”
Germany appears to be experiencing a shift in public and commercial sentiment. While no official government boycott is in place, exporters say they are encountering increasing pushback in private dealings.
The pressure is not confined to Europe. According to the report, some ‘Israeli’ exporters are also facing signs of reluctance from Japanese buyers, signalling that the impact may soon extend beyond Europe.
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