Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001211/2025/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
Giorgos Georgiou (The Left)
In addition to the full-scale destruction of Gaza, Israel’s military campaign here – and in other Palestinian territories – aimed/aims to tear apart the cultural fabric of Palestinian life, be that through the destruction of the Rashad Al-Shawwa Cultural Centre and the Al-Qarara Museum or through the deaths of dozens of Palestinian artists, young talents as well as writers, poets and academics.
The latest incident (of 10 February 2025) arising from this Israeli policy entailed the violent raid of two branches of the Educational Bookshop – one of the most popular Palestinian bookshops, renowned for being a safe cultural and literary haven – and the arrest of their owners.
In light of the above, can the Commission say:
- 1.Does it agree that the destruction of Palestine’s cultural base/heritage constitutes a cultural genocide, given that the Palestinian people have lost centuries-old manuscripts and other invaluable resources for understanding their cultural/religious evolution and history?
- 2.Considering that ‘promoting diversity through international cultural relations is an important part of the EU’s role as a global actor’[1], what measures does it intend to take to support the silenced voices of Palestinian artists/writers/poets/academics and to amplify those that can still be heard?
- 3.Will it condemn Israel’s extermination of Palestinian academics and the systematic destruction of Palestinian cultural and historical assets in the Gaza Strip, such as schools, universities, libraries and archives?
Submitted: 21.3.2025
- [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52016JC0029