Valérie Hayer advocates “more firmness” with “the government of Benjamin Netanyahu”

Valérie Hayer was the guest of “8h30 franceinfo” this Monday March 11, 2024.

“I think we need to be even firmer with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government”said the candidate of the presidential majority in the European elections Valérie Hayer, Monday March 11, on franceinfo, as the prospect of a truce between Israel and Hamas recedes.

The Gaza Strip, under fire from the Israeli offensive since October 7, is in the grip of a serious humanitarian crisis. The population of the territory, struck by famine, is desperately waiting for food. “What is happening today in Gaza is unjustifiable, indefensible”declared the president of the Renew group in the European Parliament. “We call for the release of the hostages. We call for an immediate ceasefire since the situation in Gaza today is dramatic from a humanitarian point of view”, she continued. If the airdrops of humanitarian aid to Gaza have continued for a week, the UN warns of a “widespread famine almost inevitable”.

“Need to respect humanitarian law”

The opportunity for the MEP to reiterate the position of the EU and France on the situation in the Middle East: “Support for Israel after these unspeakable and despicable attacks, Israel’s right to defend itself, but the need to respect humanitarian law.” According to the head of the Renew list in the Europeans, “we need to think about what we can put in place on a European scale”, both at the humanitarian and sanctions level. “We lack diplomatic initiative at the level of the 27 and the voice of the European Union must carry, including in the message which must be strong vis-à-vis Benjamin Netanyahu”, she said.

“It will be necessary, I think, for international justice to look into a certain number of facts”, she pointed. As for the proposal from the head of the PS list for the European elections, Raphaël Glucksmann, who put forward the idea on franceinfo of activating the clause “human rights” of the EU-Israel association agreement, Valérie Hayer indicates that “this is one of the things that can be discussed and put on the table”. Established in 2000, this agreement is the main legal instrument governing bilateral relations between Israel and the European Union. The agreement in question is based on the parties’ attachment to the principles of the United Nations Charter and respect for human rights, which “guides their internal and international policy” and constitutes “an essential element of this agreement”.