Rima HASSAN

Policy topics Rima HASSAN is active on

What Rima HASSAN has said (19)

• 2026-06-16 “Israel said that it was not involved in the ceasefire agreement and will still be bombing in Gaza and Lebanon. Now I don't really know what the point of this debate is. We come to the podium again and again to hear the same empty words. We are debating the situation in The Middle East today. Who today can even talk about appeasement with any kind of credibility? The EU is politically and economically complicit with the genocidal state of Israel. Who can seriously talk about justice while at the same time arming Israel, maintaining the association agreement, placing conditions on human rights, welcoming representatives from Israel who are violating human rights. European leaders are complicit, and all of those who are with them are, betraying those who have elected us. The truth is very clear. You cannot, improve the situation as long as you protect and legitimize Israel. It's about speaking out against the, apartheid regime of Israel.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• 2026-03-24 “Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission 22.5.2026 Written question The EU is a strong supporter of international law, including International Humanitarian Law, and the integrity of the Chemical Weapons Convention [1] . The use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, at any time and under any circumstances is a violation of international law. The EU recalls that the use of herbicides is regulated by the UN Environmental Modification Convention from 1976 which prohibits military or any hostile use of environmental modification techniques. The EU will continue to reaffirm its commitment to the applicability of international human rights and humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territory, Lebanon and Syria. The High Representative/Vice-President conducted, with the support of a majority of Member States, a review of Israel’s compliance with its obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement [2] . The conclusion of the review was that there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its obligations. Following the review, the Commission’s President announced a set of proposed measures for the EU to address the catastrophic situation in Gaza. It includes a reinforced package of sanctions, and a partial suspension of the Association Agreement on certain trade-related matters. Discussions continue in the Council on those measures. The EU has suspended its bilateral cooperation with Israel, without impacting the support to civil society and Yad Vashem — the Holocaust Remembrance Centre. The EU urges all external actors, without exception, to fully respect Syria’s and Lebanon’s unity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The EU further condemns any attempts to undermine Syria’s stability and prospects for a peaceful and inclusive transition. [1] https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/disarmament-non-proliferation-and-arms-export-control-0_en. [2] https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/delegations/israel/documents/eu_israel/asso_agree_en.pdf.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine · Disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons · EU-Lebanon relations
• 2025-05-28 “E-002163/2025 Answer given by Ms Albuquerque on behalf of the European Commission The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the cornerstone of international justice and the fight against impunity. It holds perpetrators of the most serious crimes of international concern to account and gives victims a voice. The Commission is closely following the developments related to the imposition of United States sanctions on the personnel of the ICC. The Commission deeply regrets recourse to such actions. The Commission is in close contact with ICC representatives, as well as with EU Member States, in order to assess the impact of United States sanctions. The Commission is ready to provide its full support and contribution to ensure the protection of the ICC and its personnel against external pressures or threats. In that context, the Commission is considering effective measures as appropriate to ensure the ICC’s operations remain unimpacted and its mandate fulfilled.”
  Support for International Criminal Court · EU-US relations
• 2025-05-26 “P-002105/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The possibility of a review of Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement 1 was discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council of 20 May 2025. Based on this discussion, the High Representative /Vice-President (HR/VP) has announced that such a review will be undertaken. The HR/VP tasked the office of the EU Special Representative for Human Rights to prepare the review based on assessments of independent international organisations (including United Nations agencies). This document was prepared for an internal discussion with Member States and found that there was evidence that Israel would be in breach of its obligations. Following the July 2025 Foreign Affairs Council, the EU engaged in a frank dialogue with Israel, with the objective to achieve significant changes in the humanitarian situation on the ground. On 29 July 2025, the Commission proposed to partially suspend Israel’s participation in Horizon Europe. The suspension specifically concerns the participation of entities established in Israel in activities funded under the Accelerator of the European Innovation Council 2 . This suspension comes as a reaction to the review Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. 1 https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/delegations/israel/documents/eu_israel/asso_agree_en.pdf. 2 https://north-africa-middle-east-gulf.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-proposes-partial-suspension-israelsassociation-horizon-europe-2025-07-29_en.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• 2025-05-02 “E-001782/2025 Answer given by Mr Brunner on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is committed to fight racism and hatred in the EU 1 . The Commission condemns hate crime and terrorist acts and relies on the national authorities to investigate and prosecute them. The Commission supports the protection of places of worship, including mosques 2 through different means, such as information tools 3 to enhance awareness, security and funding under the Internal Security Fund 4 for transnational and interreligious projects to help places of worship, faith leaders and communities to maximise their preparedness. In 2024, the Commission published an independent research report on ‘The legal framework to combat anti-Muslim hate in the European Union’ 5 , drafted by the European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination. The report brings together key case law and presents findings on legislation with a disproportionate impact on Muslim communities and persons. The 2008 Framework Decision 6 prohibits public incitement to violence or hatred based on race, colour, ethnicity and religion. The Commission first put in place a Coordinator on combatting anti-Muslim hatred in 2015. One of the Coordinator’s key roles is to work for better recording, investigation and prosecution of anti-Muslim hate crime. The 2020-2025 EU anti-racism action plan 7 , which covers anti-Muslim hatred, triggered the adoption of national action plans against racism. The upcoming anti-Racism strategy will continue to galvanise Member States action against anti-Muslim hatred, while EU funding under the Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values programme is an important tool to fund projects fighting all forms of racism. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52023JC0051. 2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52017DC0612. 3 https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/whats-new/publications/eu-quick-guide-support-protection-placesworship_en#:~:text=This%20guide%20aims%20at%20helping%20smaller%20and%20mediumsized,altering%20the%20nature%20and%20purpose%20of%20the%20space. 4 https://commission.europa.eu/funding-tenders/find-funding/eu-funding-programmes/internal-security-fund_en. 5 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/b5006e58-d15e-11ef-be2a-01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 6 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM:l33178. 7 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combattingdiscrimination/racism-and-xenophobia/eu-anti-racism-action-plan-2020-2025_en.”
  EU policy on Islam · EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination
• 2025-01-28 “E-000365/2025 Answer given by Ms Šuica on behalf of the European Commission The EU is following closely the impact of the war in Gaza on the delivery of essential services to Palestinians, in particular its consequences on EU-funded projects and capacities of implementing partners to operate. On water, at the moment, there are no reports of destruction of the EU-funded water facilities in Gaza. The EU-funded Short Term Low Volume (STLV) desalination plant in the South of the Gaza Strip, run by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has been one of the major sources of safe water for the population in Gaza since October 2023. The STLV sea water desalination plant has remained operational since October 2023. However, it is not working at full capacity as it relies on available fuel for generators and on solar field, since its access to electricity through the Israeli feeder line ‘F11’ has been cut since March 2025. As of end of May 2025, its average production of water was of 2 500 cubic meter per day compared to a maximum theoretical capacity of 20 000 cubic meter per day. Production of water depends on whether the STLV is connected or not to the electricity feeder line or if it relies on generators and solar panels. The decision to apply restrictive measures (sanctions) under the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy is under the responsibility of the Council and not of the Commission.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine · EU Development & Humanitarian Aid
• “04:50 – 15:07:12): Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Madam Commissioner, for your presentation. I have to say that I'm rather concerned to see that you have just whizzed through this presentation. You're presenting Israel as a partner despite the fact that Israel is currently committing a genocide in Gaza. Israel, which is an apartheid state, Israel which has the maximum or the record number of UN resolutions, which has already taken effective possession of the West Bank, and you're asking for solutions for other states which you've mentioned. And then we've got the UN which are helping Palestinians in lots of different countries. So I'm rather surprised to hear the tone with which you've given this presentation on the state of Israel given the serious nature of the question of Gaza and its future and Israel as a partner. So thirty percent of Israeli weapons come from member states of the EU, and we have fifteen times more imports from the colonies than we do from Gaza or the Palestinian state. And then on the Board of Peace and Trump, I'm wondering whether you're aware that this is going to undermine the work of the United Nations, that it's going to undermine the defense of international law which remains a fundamental value for the European institutions. Are you aware that your presence contradicts all of the statements made by Antonio Costa as President of the Council who has expressed his concerns about the mission and indeed the incompatibility of the position of this Board of Peace and the UN? And then there's been criticism from France, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, Portugal, Spain. There are questions about whether the Commission is authorized to act on this matter. So I'm just wondering what was your mandate for going to the Board of Peace meeting, and are you aware that you are contributing to undermining this international system which is already in crisis?”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• “Thank you madam. Good morning everyone. Thank you very much to all the different speakers for their contributions and their thoughts. I too am outraged. We have informed the Secretariat that no Palestinians have been invited to speak at this event, and we know that there are many Palestinian, uh, experts here in Brussels perfectly available to come and offer their thoughts and their expertise on occupation and colonization. So why have the Palestinians are not being invited to speak this morning? Well, it's because of what they have to say about their history, uh, on those lands. And I'm quite surprised that no interest has been shown in the profound causes of settlement and occupation and that we're not calling into question Zionism. This is a different debate. This is a debate that concerns all of you and Palestinians. And what they went through in 1948 is not very different to what's happening in the West Bank now. So I think it's a mistake to simply condemn the consequences of what's happening today in the West Bank, without looking at the profound ideological causes and the continuity of Israeli policy from 1948 until the present day. So my question is very straightforward on apartheid. This new paradigm, the two state solution in Palestine. My question to all speakers, and I hope you will be as honest as possible in answering this question. I know it's a difficult, perhaps difficult to develop responses today, but do you really think the two state solution is possible at the moment? Because that's the the only framework for reflection that has been offered to us. When we talk about the Israeli-Palestinian problem, what do you think of of any other solution, a binational solution, a single state with a free movement, rule of law, something like South Africa after apartheid? Thank you.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• “Xana was only 16 years old when the Israeli army assassinated him last week, before crushing his body with a military tank. This crime adds to the long list of ceasefire violations committed by Israel, both in Lebanon and in Palestine. Since the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel has killed nearly 400 Palestinians, one third of them children, has blocked over 6000 tons of humanitarian aid and accessing to the territory. In Lebanon, they have killed over 260 Lebanese people. They bombed with white phosphorus and they're still occupying the south of the country. The humanitarian imperative of the ceasefire has turned suddenly into a political objective to the detriment of justice. No prosecution, no condemnation, no reparations. There are simple questions, however, that we still haven't answered. Why is it that the EU isn't dealing with Israel as it does with Russia? Why has the EU not suspended its association agreement with Israel. The commission did say that it would do that in September. There's only one explanation for these double standards as regards this genocidal regime, and that is the ideological and colonial complicity of the EU with Israel. One day your children will work out how you were blunted by your own colonialism.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• “Thank you. Chairman. I hope that the day when I can look to the skies rather than the ground will come. I am a 30 year old living in Gaza and I've never travelled. These are the words that actually accompany photos of Gaza that were taken in 2020 for Yasser. Yasser was actually affected by sniper bullets in Gaza. Seven other journalists were affected on the same day. Some of them continued their work as journalists. Now, in 2010, journalists started putting photos on Facebook. Facebook. When people saw videos, they were astonished. They didn't actually know that Gaza could be so beautiful with its flowers and markets. On the 23rd of October, 2023, when trying to protect his wife, his children, his family, Rushdi was actually killed by an Israeli bullet. He was the ninth journalist killed in two weeks. Now we're talking about more than 160 journalists having been killed in Gaza. Journalists are guarantors of freedom of expression. They're protected under international treaties, such as article 79 of the Additional Protocol of the Geneva Convention, article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, and article ten of the European Convention of Human Rights. These instruments, as well as the resolutions of the United Nations, ensure their safety, particularly in times of conflict, and recall the obligation of states to ensure freedom of expression. And yet, as in many other cases, Israel is violating international law and hasn't been sanctioned so far. Let's imagine the life of a journalist from Palestine. The Gaza siege has been in place since 2005. Controls everybody who enters and leaves. If you want to get a camera, if you want to get a microphone, a computer, you have to go through this. Since 2023, internet has been controlled by Israel in Gaza, so it's difficult to share images with the world of what is going on in the West Bank. Raids are regularly carried out in villages, refugee camps and even schools. You have to avoid bullets. You have to try to stay calm. You have to turn on your camera and show the world what's happening. Salena Berkeley was murdered on in May with a bullet to the head just above her press vest. Her press vest. Zhang Zhu, a 27 year old journalist, was also killed by an Israeli bullet in January 2024 when he was in a car with his colleague Mr. Raphtalia. A couple of minutes later, his father while Al-dahdouh a journalist Analyst in Gaza continued covering the bombardment of Gaza. Prestor al-Assad, 22 years old in October 2023, started to say what was happening in Gaza and she had to flee the country. There were more than 4.5 million people who follow what she is saying online and on social networks. For the Sakharov Prize of 2024, we are therefore proposing journalists in Palestine. Some of them were killed before the start of the genocide in Gaza, like Shireen Abu Akleh. Others killed targeted since October 2023 like Rushdie, Sarah and Hamza Al-dawa and others who continue to fight so that we can have access to the truth like Plestia, Al-aqqad and others. While Al-dahdouh, we would like to award the prize to all journalists working in conflict zones in Ukraine, in Mexico, in Palestine. But it's really in Palestine that 70% of journalists were killed in 2023, the most vicious year for journalists since the Second World War, according to the International Federation of Journalists. We welcome their courage, their commitment, their integrity, their commitment to reporting, no matter what the circumstances are, what the Palestinian people are living through to a world that remains passive. I think we need to ask the question, what will our common future be if we accept that the fact that those who are only armed with a camera are targeted? Thank you.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• “Thank you, chairman, and good morning, Mrs. Kallas. Subsequent to Mrs. von der Leyen's announcement in her state of the Union speech in September, sanctions were proposed on Israeli ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir and also against violent settlers And in addition it was proposed to suspend the trade part of the Association Agreement. But since the ceasefire, you yourself have recognised that the ceasefire has changed the situation. And I'm quoting there. And so that means that you're suggesting reviewing this idea of sanctions against Israel. Yesterday, the head of the Israeli army announced that the yellow line that divides the Gaza Strip. And means that the Israeli army occupies 58% of Gaza is Israel's new border. That's what the general said. So that's de facto annexation of 62% of Gaza Strip in the West Bank. There's an effective annexation of most of it by Israel. 10,000 Palestinian political prisoners, cases of torture that have been widely documented Also by UN bodies. So we can't doubt their reliability. We have Israel's genocidal intentions vis a vis the Palestinians, which was recalled by a recent report by Amnesty International. So a very simple question for you. What is the point of all this efforts you're making to support the Palestinian Authority if you don't do the upstream work, which would enable the Palestinian Authority to do its work properly by sanctioning Israel? And what about the issue of genocide, a question which you've dodged for around two years and something which many international observers believe is unchanged. Thank you.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• “Yes, just very briefly, I'd like to echo the thanks we've heard from colleagues, and I'd like to thank you for being here. We've got a lot to learn from you, particularly when it comes to, obviously, human rights. I mean, we can have no human rights without the kind of work that you do in Europe. We hear many people still saying that the State of Israel is a democracy, the only democracy in its region, for example. Nevertheless, many NGOs have for several years been documenting the crime of apartheid, which governs relations between Israelis and Palestinians. There's an Amnesty International report. Human Rights Watch have said that as well. B'tselem. There's a report from them and also the report from al-Haq, a Palestinian organization. B'tselem is an Israeli organization. But there have also been warnings made by UN experts. Francesco Albanese, who has expressed himself on these this issue several times. So my question is, is this subject, uh, one of the priorities that should be ours? Because it really changes things in terms of the political perspective of the conflict, because I think it's a bit of a paradigm change saying i.e.. That solutions would come if there was legal equality between Israelis and Palestinians. That would be the only condition under which we could qualify Israel as a democracy, which is not the case today. But. 80% of the members of the European Parliament today, if you ask them, would say Israel is a democracy, or perhaps they would say it's the only democracy in the region. So how important should this subject be given documents that we've seen from international experts and NGOs on the issue. Thank you.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• “Thank you, chairman. And I'd like to thank all the guests for their presentations today. The last annual report from the Secretary General of the UN on the fate of children in armed conflict, says that we have seen a 21% increase in violations against children in armed conflict. And we see that the highest figures. Are for different reasons in different contexts. For example, in Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, but also in DRC. This has been raised by the different speakers, but many people haven't referred to Israel, and the figures are quite alarming. It's about 700 Palestinian children every year who are arrested and arbitrarily detained in Israeli prisons, according to Save the Children, and this is backed up by Amnesty International documents from the age of 12 years. They can appear before a military court. They are detained for 121 days on average in Israeli prisons, and that comes from the United Nations. So I don't want to go through all of the different legal bases and conventions. All of us, including the NGOs in particular, have referred to those and organizations that may be heard by the committee. But I'd like to ask a question to the EA's about Israel's impunity. We have tried to sound the alarm several times. We have tried to raise the issue of Israel's impunity. It's an exception in the EU and no one understands it. There's no problem getting sanctions against other states. And I would remind you that it was about 20,000 children who were assassinated during the genocide by the Israeli state. So my question is very simple. What measures have been taken by your service to build a dialogue based on strict respect of human rights, particularly of children, a dialogue that is with Israel. Thank you.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• “Yes. Thank you, chair, and thank you to all of the speakers. For their contributions, particularly Judge Haller, who I would like to thank for coming and for speaking here. My question goes to Mr. Steltzer. I'd echo what's been said by many of my colleagues. The Parliament has repeatedly voted for the activation of the blocking statute by the Commission. In the September 25th Gaza resolution and the report on Human rights in the world of January 2026, and also the debates. Which Rydell mentioned, also reiterated this request to the Commission. So could you precisely spell out what exactly are the obstacles that the Commission faces when it comes to activating the blocking statute? I'd also underscore that it's not possible, on the one hand, to complain about this repression of democracy, international law and international jurisdiction, while at the same time failing to identify Where the responsibility lies. These sanctions obviously come from the US. But behind that there is a clear link between Israel and the US. It's as a result of pressure from Israel that the US has yielded. It's. The work of many parliamentarians to put an end to Israel's impunity, including within the European institutions. Thank you.”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• “Thank you very much for your respective contributions. I just want to refer to current affairs, because not only should this be a humanitarian plea for children, but it's also a political one. Because it's about Sir. External EU politics. Now we are aware of the situation in Palestine, in Gaza, the dreadful conditions, children that have been amputated. These are the areas where you find the highest number of children. Amputees. Um, that's where there's a huge risk of, of famine for children. Also, the highest risk of rather 13,000 children were killed. So given all this, what are your political ambitions when it comes to the government in Israel? Most notably when it comes to the Eu-israel Association Agreement, because this is founded on human rights on the basis of article two. So what exactly is your position, your stance regarding the regime in Israel?”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• “The proposal on the European business wallet is something that we really need to discuss. I mean, giving businesses a tool that enables them to interact with public administrations, sign and seal documents, etc. is the kind of tool that the single market genuinely needs, I'm sure. But let me just say that we currently have nine different digital tools that are aimed at businesses and administrations. Hybris, Boris UTS, the business wallet, the 28th regime, the digital passport etcetera, etcetera. They're all complementary, but they all at least partially overlap. So I want to share that concern of mine with colleagues and the commission. I mean, I don't want us to try and resolve the fragmentation of the single market using fragmented tools that are burdensome for businesses. In addition, businesses continue to manage a whole series of identification codes. The single European identifying number, the obligatory international code, the customs code, the national VAT codes and none of these tools are being got rid of on the content of the proposal. Well, I would turn to Rapporteur Voss, and I would like us to propose specific provisions, at least for microbusinesses those with less than ten employees, which and it would be good to have a non burdensome access to the digital wallet, multilingual interface, technical assistance for onboarding a set of obligatory functionalities which are in line with real requirements. And also For example, for requests for public funding or participation in public tenders, i.e. those things that are quite common, there should be assistance and easy procedures, and we need to need to ensure that we don't have the burden once again falling on those who have the fewest resources. Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Thank you for the speakers. Various contributions. My question focuses on child detention. This is a major issue. According to the UN, 1.5 million children are held in detention. The convention on the Rights of Children. Makes provision for such detention being only a last resort. In the most recent report. The EU said that aimed to end all forms of child detention by 2030 and that is indeed was one of the recommendations coming out of the UN Committee for Children's Rights. My question focuses on Palestine, because that's one of the areas of the world which is most affected by human rights violations and particular children's rights violations. According to Addameer, a Palestinian NGO, since 2000, more than 6500 Palestinian children have been arrested by the Israeli army. 700 of whom are actually prosecuted before military courts every year. And recently a child of 14 years was old, was arrested and prosecuted. So how does the EU envisage making progress on children's detention, children's rights and in particular in Palestine?”
  Relations with Israel - Palestine
• “The proposal on the European business wallet is something that we really need to discuss. I mean, giving businesses a tool that enables them to interact with public administrations, sign and seal documents, etc. is the kind of tool that the single market genuinely needs, I'm sure. But let me just say that we currently have nine different digital tools that are aimed at businesses and administrations. Hybris, Boris UTS, the business wallet, the 28th regime, the digital passport etcetera, etcetera. They're all complementary, but they all at least partially overlap. So I want to share that concern of mine with colleagues and the commission. I mean, I don't want us to try and resolve the fragmentation of the single market using fragmented tools that are burdensome for businesses. In addition, businesses continue to manage a whole series of identification codes. The single European identifying number, the obligatory international code, the customs code, the national VAT codes and none of these tools are being got rid of on the content of the proposal. Well, I would turn to Rapporteur Voss, and I would like us to propose specific provisions, at least for microbusinesses those with less than ten employees, which and it would be good to have a non burdensome access to the digital wallet, multilingual interface, technical assistance for onboarding a set of obligatory functionalities which are in line with real requirements. And also For example, for requests for public funding or participation in public tenders, i.e. those things that are quite common, there should be assistance and easy procedures, and we need to need to ensure that we don't have the burden once again falling on those who have the fewest resources. Thank you.”
  Digitalization of public governance & administration
• “Thank you. President. Well, the rise of fascism is the result of political choices. There's nothing predetermined about it. As we all know, history does not write itself. It depends on people's actions. But recently in the media, we've seen values being overturned. According to the right at the far right, it's the left who are involved in violence. But figures show things differently. 96% of political murders since the 1990s have been caused by the far right. Far right terrorist attacks have increased by 320% across Western countries. Violence, which kills and injures people comes first and foremost from the far right, and it's something that affects us because of who we are. This is part of an ideological ecosystem, and the far right in this House represent the institutional part of that. We're talking about Nazism and fascism. It's at the doors of power everywhere in Europe. We will continue to fight it, and we will make no compromises. Just a wide ranging anti-fascist anti-racist front defending a solidarity based, equality based civil society can save us. It is people who make history. We are anti-fascist and we will remain so. Thank you.”
  EU policy on integration and ethnic, racial and religious discrimination