Rabat — A high-level meeting on Sunday brought together European and Arab countries’ representatives to explore ways to put pressure on Israel to stop its Genocide on Gaza.
The meeting of the “Madrid Group” comes as Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) intensify their genocidal bombardment of innocent civilians in the Palestinian enclave.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manual Albares said that his country urges an arms embargo against Israel to end its assaults in Gaza.
The aim of the gathering that brought together 20 countries and international organizations in the European country is to pressure Israel to stop its genocidal war, “which no longer has any goal,” Albares said.
Israel is losing on the diplomatic ground as countries in the European Union that it had long considered close allies have been joining the international bloc condemning IOF assaults and its humanitarian and food aid blockade on Gaza.
Albares further spoke of the possibility of imposing targeted sanctions on parties “who obstruct the two-state solution.”
Speaking to reporters at Sunday’s meeting, the Spanish FM said the gathering aimed to halt what he described as Israel’s “inhumane” and “senseless” genocide on Gaza.
“The last thing the Middle East needs right now is weapons,” he noted, adding that “silence in these moments is complicity in this massacre…”
Ministers and senior representatives from organizations and countries in Europe — including France, the UK, Germany, and Italy — and the Arab world took part in the meeting, in addition to Brazil and Turkey.
France and Saudi Arabia are set to preside over a UN conference on June 18 to address Palestinian statehood. According to reports, French President Emmanuel Macron plans to urge participants to “work toward implementing the two-state solution.”
Mounting calls against Israel’s genocide
The last weeks have seen mounting calls on the international community to take action against Israel to stop. Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow to take “full control of all of Gaza,” many have said that now is the time for world governments to force the Israeli government to order the end of its troops’ genocide assaults on the Palestinian enclave.
Last Monday, the UK, France, and Canada joined forces in a strong shift of their policy towards Israel. They warned of targeted sanctions if Israel does not halt its genocidal actions and allow for the immediate entry of food and humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In a joint statement, the three countries lamented Israel’s intensified expansion plan for Gazans, saying it is “illegal and undermine[s] the viability of a Palestinian state and the security of both Israelis and Palestinians.”
Also lamenting the inhumane situation in the war-torn enclave, the UK slammed Israel for denying “essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population.” Such behavior is “unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law,” the UK government fumed in the statement.
Israel’s expansion of its genocidal war will lead to “permanent forced displacement,” the three countries said in their joint statement, condemning the move as a blatant “breach of international humanitarian law.”
