The humanitarian emergency in the Middle East has pierced the veil at the European Parliament, ending up on the agenda with a historic resolution – the first voted on by MEPs almost two years after tensions flared up following the events of 7 October 2023. Today, Thursday, 11 September, MEPs in Strasbourg adopted, by 305 votes in favour, 151 against, and 122 abstentions, the resolution entitled “Gaza at breaking point: EU action to combat famine, the urgent need to release hostages and move towards a two-state solution”, jointly tabled by the Greens, the Socialists and the Liberals. By approving the text, MEPs call on Member States to “consider recognising the State of Palestine” and express their support for the approach announced by Ursula von der Leyen. Indeed, yesterday, in her State of the Union address, the President of the European Commission announced a “turning point” on the Middle East issue, with sanctions against extremist ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and a partial suspension of EU-Israel trade agreements. As for the resolution adopted this morning, the final vote came after a long pause which allowed political groups to discuss the outcome of the voting on individual amendments. One of the most controversial points was the request by the Socialists, the Greens and the Left to include the word “genocide” in the text of the resolution with an explicit reference to Israel’s responsibilities. This proposal was ultimately rejected due to the opposition of EPP and right-wing MEPs. Although the text adopted is milder in tone than the one initially proposed – with numerous amendments withdrawn in an attempt to find agreement among Parliament’s various factions –, it is nonetheless Strasbourg’s first official stance on the humanitarian crisis that has been relentlessly devastating the Gaza Strip for nearly two years.