Intervention in the plenary session in the debate on the deterioration of democracy in Israel and consequences for the occupied territories.
Dear Mr President, It is so sad that one could almost be ironic about it. Ironically, one could think that it is done in the end: Israel is finally integrated into the Middle East since what its parliamentary majority aspires to do is nothing more just to reproduce the political model of the regimes around it. But no! Unfortunately, the irony is not appropriate, because this state, which our Union supports because it is the only democracy in the region, could today take the path of illiberal democracies, those where people continue to vote while the checks and balances are attacked and destroyed.
The situation is so serious that two out of three Israelis, from the right and the left alike,d are fighting for the survival of their democracy. So, as everywhere, we must support the rule of law, say which side we are on and not hesitate, if necessary, to use all our weapons – political, of course, but also economic.
