Moviment Graffitti’s Andre Callus has blasted Roberta Metsola’s recent meeting with Israeli leadership, saying she had “blood on her hands” by “shaking hands with war criminals”, and giving them the “go-ahead to commit genocide in Gaza”.

Wearing bulletproof vests, Metsola joined European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the site of the Israeli music festival massacre, which left at least 260 people dead after Hamas armed fighters arrived on trucks and motorcycles.

The EU officials also met Israeli leaders, including President Isaac Herzog.

Metsola did not mince her words condemning Hamas’ attacks at a festival in Israel calling them “terror in its worst form” and targeting Jews, and pledging the EU’s full support.

“This is not a time for whataboutism,” Metsola said. “We have to be clear about what we are talking about.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns this is ‘just the beginning’ while the state has instructed all 1.1 million Palestinians in north Gaza to leave, including those in hospitals.

That is around half the strip’s population.

While Metolsa did condone humanitarian corridors for those in Gaza, the 24 hours given by Israel for Gaza’s evacuation has been deemed worrying by the UN.

Moviment Graffitti’s statement 

The NGO said that fighting anti-Semitism in principles of justice and equality must also criticise the Israeli state for its “well-defined project of ethnic cleansing”.

“Whoever tries to blur the lines between anti-Semitism and criticism of the State of Israel inevitably ends up justifying racism, either the racism of the Israeli state or racism against Jews. False accusations of anti-Semitism… are malicious attempts at poisoning the debate on Israel/Palestine, intended to silence critics of Israel and to justify Israeli settler-colonialism. They also end up diluting the true meaning of anti-Semitism, making it harder for the general public to identify and counter real anti-Semitic incidents,” a statement read.

“The antidote to this poison is ensuring that we are always guided by principles of justice and equality, standing firm in our commitment to solidarity with all groups facing oppression, whoever and wherever they are.”

Read their full statement here.

Do you agree with Graffitti?