Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European-Palestinian Initiative Against Apartheid and Settlements stressed the importance of maintaining international support for Palestinian rights in light of the escalation of Israeli racist policies and the ongoing brutal aggression, especially the criminal war targeting Gaza for more than 14 months. On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which was approved by the United Nations on November 29, 1977, the initiative calls on governments, international organizations and civil society to commemorate this day and fulfill their historical responsibilities. It urges concrete measures to stop the ethnic cleansing, ongoing aggression, genocide and forced displacement in Gaza, and the annexation and expansion of settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem led by the extremist Israeli government. The initiative renews its call for continued global pressure on the Israeli occupation to end its aggressive policies and recognize Palestinian national rights, including the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of refugees to return to their homes and properties in accordance with international law, which Israel continues to defy. This came in a statement issued by the European-Palestinian Initiative, a copy of which we received this morning, which also stated: “It stressed that this Day of Solidarity constitutes an important opportunity for the United Nations to affirm its historical commitment to the Palestinian cause and take effective steps to end the injustice that has befallen the Palestinian people since 1948. The initiative urges peoples, organizations, and all advocates of freedom around the world to act urgently to stop the genocide, and to focus efforts on prosecuting Israeli war criminals - primarily Netanyahu and Galant - and implementing the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court on November 27, 2024. It also highlights the importance of intensifying efforts to divest, boycott, impose sanctions on, and isolate the State of Israel internationally, and to abide by the rulings of the International Court of Justice, and to cancel its membership in the United Nations General Assembly and all international organizations. The statement concluded by saying, "On this day, we extend our thanks and greetings to all supporters of the Palestinian cause all over the world. Together for a free Palestine.