Melike Pala
22 April 2026•Update: 22 April 2026
Lawmakers, diplomats and public figures criticized the international response to the Gaza crisis, calling for stronger coordinated political action and condemning perceived inaction and double standards by global institutions.
Parliamentarians, diplomats and public figures from across multiple continents gathered in Brussels on Wednesday for the Global Sumud Parliamentarians Congress, held alongside the ongoing Global Sumud Flotilla, which was launched toward Gaza on April 12.
Participants at the congress voiced strong criticism of the international response to the situation in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, calling for coordinated political and economic measures.
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, said the issue is no longer about recognizing Palestinian rights but about enforcing obligations.
"It's clear that member states have obligations, and businesses have obligations not to trade, not to aid and assist in a state that is genociding the Palestinians," Albanese said, urging greater coordination and leadership to end what she described as complicity in supply chains and trade.
Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as dire, citing ongoing violence and severe shortages of basic necessities.
"And we are also living under a system which is nothing but a fascist system. And don't hesitate to call the Israeli establishment as it is, a fascist establishment, because only fascists can pass such laws as the death penalty law... and celebrate during drinking glasses of champagne," he said.
Spanish Minister of Youth and Childhood Sira Rego linked the situation in Gaza to what she called a broader "colonial international order," arguing that global power structures enable such crises.
"Human rights as language, impunity as practice, international legality as discourse, permanent exception as the norm. The 'deeply concerned' statements of the European Commission while arms continue to be sent to Israel," she said.
"How many statements from Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas have we read about international law while they rushed to take photos with those responsible for the genocide? How many times has the European Parliament refused to recognize what was happening? How many Zionist flags have flown in front of European institutions while Gaza was burning -- how much more?" Rego added.
Lynn Boylan, chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine, said global leaders have failed to take effective action.
"We're watching the EU and global leaders have failed to take real action during a live stream to genocide against the Palestinian people. We have watched a coordinated attack, not just on the people of Gaza, but on international law and humanity itself," she said.
She also criticized EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, saying they are "not taking their obligations seriously."
Belgian Member of the European Parliament Marc Botenga questioned what he described as inconsistencies in EU policy, comparing sanctions imposed on Russia and Iran with the bloc's approach to Israel.
"This is a shame, but it's not just a moral shame... It is a legal failing," he stressed.
