World Council of Churches urges EU to sanction Israel over Gaza genocide
By Ibrahim Yunusa
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has called on the European Union to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, citing what it described as a “war of genocide” in Gaza and an ongoing pogrom against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Speaking on Tuesday, Iskandar Majlton, a local coordinator of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel a WCC-affiliated initiative said the council was deeply shocked by the relentless violence and human suffering unfolding in the region.
Majlton emphasized that the WCC’s position is grounded in international law and human rights, condemning all attacks on civilians regardless of the source. He described the situation in Gaza as an “unprecedented humanitarian disaster,” with thousands killed mostly women and children and nearly the entire population displaced amid destruction, hunger, and disease.
He further stressed that the ongoing crisis did not begin in October 2023 but is rooted in decades of occupation, the blockade of Gaza, and structural inequality, urging global actors to address the deeper causes behind the cycle of violence.