Statement on the 78th anniversary of the Nakba
On the 78th anniversary of the Nakba — the catastrophe — on 15 May, EL renews its solidarity with the Palestinian people, who today are suffering a second catastrophe, a blatant genocide and ethnic cleansing: a new and even more terrible Nakba
UN resolutions and international law continue to remind us that the right of return for the families — and their descendants — who were forcibly expelled in 1948, or their right to compensation, as established in the 1948 UN resolution, has still not been respected, while illegal settlements in the West Bank continue to expand and should be dismantled.
This anniversary comes at an even more difficult time, but also one marked by a growing sense of international solidarity.
We condemn the kidnapping in international waters of hundreds of activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, the ill-treatment they suffered, and the detention and expulsion of Thiago Avila and Saif Abu Keshek, followed by their transfer to Israeli prisons — both of whom, thankfully, have now been released. We must not forget the thousands of Palestinian prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti, whose release we demand.
We condemn the attacks in Lebanon, which have caused the forced displacement of one million people and hundreds of deaths, violate the national sovereignty of a state, and exacerbate instability in the region.
We express our deep concern over the Knesset’s passage of a law that provides for the death penalty on ethnic grounds.
EL also believes that, until the occupation ends, the EU should sever all military ties with the Israeli government, suspend the Association Agreement with Israel, and impose sanctions on members of the Israeli government and the political forces that support it. We stand in solidarity with the democratic, feminist and left-wing forces in Israel and Palestine who are fighting for equality, an end to the occupation, and a shared future characterized by freedom and security for all, and we will actively support them. EL reaffirms that the political solution must be a two-state solution, in accordance with international law.
The growing shift in the stance of some Western states regarding Palestine and Israel is a direct result of the constant pressure exerted by the international solidarity movement, which has mobilized people — particularly young people — around the world. In many places, solidarity activists are persecuted by their own governments. We strongly reject policies that dismiss criticism of Israeli human rights violations as antisemitic and that criminalize peace and anti-war activism, including voices within Israel itself.
On the 78th anniversary of the Nakba — the catastrophe — on 15 May, we reaffirm our solidarity with the Palestinian people.an obligation.