Advocacy group to new European Parliament: ' Time to defeat Hamas'

(European Jewish Press via JNS) — A pro-Israel advocacy group has called for a new global coalition to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization, after six Israeli hostages were killed in cold blood last month hours before being rescued by the Israel Defense Forces.

In the European Coalition for Israel’s monthly talk show, “The European Report,” ECI founding director Tomas Sandell on Tuesday expressed his grave concern regarding the many concessions made to Hamas in the wake of the terror group’s Oct. 7 massacre. 

“This is not the time to reward terrorists by making concessions or calling for a ceasefire but a time to come together to rescue the remaining hostages and dismantle the Hamas killing machine with the same determination [with which] the international community fought and defeated ISIS, the Islamic State,” said Sandell.

Newly re-elected Dutch MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen, a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists group, expressed the same sentiment on the program, saying “enough is enough.”

Ruissen, who was elected to parliament with a record number of votes, credited his election victory to his consistent support for Israel at a time when many other candidates were afraid to publicly express their solidarity with the Jewish state.

He explained how on the campaign trail he met with many young Jews who expressed their fear of returning to their college campuses this fall due to violent anti-Israel demonstrations.

The monthly talk show was recorded as the new European Parliament was being installed in Brussels, where the composition of important committees and delegations was being finalized.

Sandell noted that the new parliament seems more inclined to understand the challenges Israel is facing, as many of the parties who scored well in the Israel-vote ranking made significant gains in the June elections.

Furthermore, outgoing E.U. foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, who has a history of making anti-Israel statements, will soon be replaced by former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

“Growing up in the shadows of Putin’s Russia gives Kallas a better understanding of how we ought to defend the free world from this new axis of evil which includes both Russia and Iran,” said Sandell.

If things go according to plan the new European Commission will be confirmed by the European Parliament by early November. Still, the confirmation process may drag on. On Wednesday it was revealed that Belgium’s nominee for European Commissioner, Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, had a reputation for being biased against Israel during her career as a top journalist with Belgium TV.

In one instance she refused to mention the Israeli citizenship of a recipient of a prestigious award, and last year faced calls to resign after it was revealed she had granted visas to delegations from both Iran and Russia for a major convention in Brussels.

According to ECI, with the ongoing war in Ukraine and the rise of antisemitism across Europe, Lahbib’s candidacy could become a liability for the new European Commission, which will face a new geo-political landscape in the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in southern Israel last year.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of “The European Report,” which is recorded in the studio of the European Parliament in Brussels and broadcast on several TV stations across Europe.

Originally published by the European Jewish Press.