The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, addressed a special Knesset plenary session on Monday.
"It is, to many outside of Israel, inconceivable that Israel’s right to existence is still put into question. Let me be clear: Europe will always back Israel’s right to exist,” Metsola said. "It pains me to say that, today we are seeing antisemitism on the rise. We know that is a warning sign for humanity. It matters to all of us.”
Metsola declared: “I will not be ambiguous: To be anti-Semitic is to be anti-European."
She spoke about the danger Russia and nuclear weapons pose to the world.
"Putin now threatens the world with nuclear weapons. We must act together and do everything within our power to prevent Russia from using and other non-democratic actors from acquiring nuclear weapons that would bring more death and irreparable destruction."
Metsola also denounced Russia for destabilizing the world, and pushed for sanctions to be adhered to by the international community.
"Russia is threatening the world’s food security, destroying fields, blocking transport routes, inciting artificial food shortage. Food insecurity brings about instability, chaos and forces people leave their homes and countries,” she said. “It can disrupt sensitive balances far from the origin of the source. This is why the international community must remain steadfast and united in ensuring sanctions on Russia are effective, allowing no loopholes to be exploited."
The European Parliament president said that the European Parliament supports a renewed peace process.
"The European Parliament firmly supports the Middle East Peace Process. We support a two-state solution – with the secure State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security,” Metsola said.
“I know there are those who do not agree. I know there have been multiple false starts to this process. I know that not everyone sees peace as a goal. And I know how hard it must be to tell a mother whose child has been killed that peace is the answer. And there are too many such mothers. Far too many.”
“But Peace is the only way forward. The only way for Israelis and Palestinians to live in safety and prosperity,” she added.
Metsola said that “progress is possible.”
“The Abraham Accords may well have seemed inconceivable only a short while ago, but they proved that history does not always have to repeated. That the cycle can indeed be broken."