In The Hague, Peter Mertens calls on the Belgian government to join South Africa's genocide complaint against Israel
Peter Mertens, Secretary General of the PVDA-PTB and Member of Parliament, was in The Hague on Thursday 11 January for the public hearing of the International Court of Justice on South Africa's genocide complaint against Israel.
He then spoke at a press conference alongside South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, peace activist and British MP Jeremy Corbyn, France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau.
Peter Mertens called for the Belgian government to join South Africa's complaint against Israel for genocide. "This is not just an issue for the Palestinians; it concerns the whole of humanity".
He also pointed to the impact of the wave of solidarity that is sweeping Belgium and the world. "More and more countries are supporting South Africa's complaint. The growing pressure from below is getting things moving. In our country too, the call to support the genocide complaint is growing louder and louder. Now it's time to move from words to deeds: we're waiting for the federal government to take a unanimous stand."
Finally, he called on European governments to take urgent action against Israel. "We are calling for a military and economic embargo against Israel. Only with strong pressure can we impose an immediate ceasefire and put an end to the horrible war in Gaza."
