Addressing the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg where she won approval from at least 361 of the 720 MEPs for a second mandate as President of the European Commission,  von der Leyen called for an immediate and enduring ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages.

”Bloodshed in Gaza must stop now’’ declared Ursula von der Leyen.

‘’The bloodshed in Gaza must stop now,’’ she said in a speech on Thursday to the first plenary session of the new European Parliament in Strasbourg where she won approval from 401 out of the 720 MEPs for a second term as President of the European Commission.

“Too many children, women and civilians have lost their lives as a result of Israel’s response to Hamas’ brutal terror,” she added

‘’The people of Gaza cannot bear any more and humanity cannot bear any more,’’ the 65-year-old German Christian-Democrat  said.

‘’We need an immediate and enduring ceasefire. We need a release of Israeli hostages,’’ von der Leyen said, adding that ‘’we need to prepare for the day after.’’

She stressed that ‘’Europe must play its part. We have massively increased our humanitarian aid to almost 200 million euros in 2024 and we will do more. We are now working on a much larger multi-year package to support an effective Palestinian Authority.’’

‘’The two-state solution is the best way to ensure security for both, to Israelis and Palestinians. People in the Middle East deserve peace, security and prosperity. Euroipe will stand by their side,’’ von der Leyen concluded.

Von der Leyen endorsed by the European Parliament for another 5-year term 

Ursula von der Leyen was finally endorsed by the European Parliament  for another five years as European Commission President.

She won 401 votes in a secret vote. She needed 361 votes out of the 720 MEPs. There were 284 votes in opposition, 15 abstentions and 7 votes declared invalid.

Ahead of the vote, she had the backing of the European People’s Party (EPP, Christian-Democrats)  the Socialists (S&D) and the Renew group (Liberals), the three main pro-EU groups within the assembly.