A pro-Palestine protest was staged outside the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday morning / © RTL
Chants of "Shame on you!" echoed outside Luxembourg's Parliament on Wednesday as lawmakers debated – but deferred – calls for unilateral sanctions against Israel.
As the Middle East conflict escalates, demands for sanctions against Israel intensify – but the European Union continues to block such measures.
In Luxembourg, a petition urging the government to impose sanctions over Israel's policies in Palestine garnered over 4,700 signatures, prompting a parliamentary debate on Wednesday. Petitioners argued that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening and called for immediate action, accusing Luxembourg of lacking political will despite having the means to act.
"Enough is enough – action is needed now," said petitioner Dalia Khader, who condemned Israel's military operations in stark terms:
"You can't turn cities into cemeteries and claim to be a victim. That's terrorism! You can't build checkpoints and call it democracy. That's apartheid. You can't imprison people and call it self-defence. That's ethnic cleansing."
Catherine Elsen, another petitioner, criticised Western governments for inaction, stressing that political leaders have a duty to protect the defenceless and humanity itself:
"The whole world sees what's happening in Gaza, yet our governments prefer to look away. By remaining passive, our so-called continent of human rights will continue to tolerate what is already happening today. It's grotesque that civil society must pressure leaders to uphold basic principles like humanity and rule of law."
Among the petitioners' demands was the closure of Luxembourg's trade office in Tel Aviv. Khader insisted the move would be more than symbolic:
"Closing these offices isn't just a symbolic gesture – it's a legal, moral, and reputational necessity for Luxembourg."
Petitioners pressed for targeted sanctions against high-ranking Israeli officials, questioning why Luxembourg has not acted against figures like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant – both subject to International Criminal Court arrest warrants – or far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, whom other nations like the UK have already sanctioned.
EU consensus required, says Bettel
Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel countered that Luxembourg lacks unilateral authority for such measures, emphasising that sanctions require EU-level coordination to maximise impact. While acknowledging stalled progress, he stated that if the EU-27 cannot agree, he would be "the first" to pursue national sanctions – provided they would be "effective".
As Bettel spoke in Parliament, roughly 50 protesters gathered outside, chanting "Shame on you!" in disapproval of the government's stance.
The Chamber of Deputies concluded by tasking its scientific unit with exploring national-level options absent a legal framework. Bettel also committed to presenting an analysis of potential sanctions by year's end.
