Statement by Georgos Loucaides, member of the Political Bureau of the C.C. of AKEL after the meeting with the Ambassador of Palestine on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with Palestine
30th November 2016
Today we had a meeting with our dear friend the Ambassador of Palestine in Cyprus, Dr. Walid Hasan, on the occasion of 29th November – the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people.
We exchanged views on developments in our region, the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. We agree with the assessment that our wider region has been experiencing for some years the most tragic period in its history. The imposition of the “New World Order” and by extension the plans to enforce a “Greater Middle East”, with the ultimate goal of securing the control of natural resources and energy sources, has resulted in very negative developments for the peoples of the region.
The imperialist interventions – both direct and indirect – in Iraq, Libya and Syria, but also in Yemen have massacred their peoples. The Syrian people are going through an unspeakable tragedy. The Mediterranean Sea has become a grave for the thousands of people who are fleeing hounded by war and famine seeking peace and a future. Instead they encounter a fortress Europe.
The role of the US and NATO, but also of the European Union, in the region was and is negative, since it is focused on securing the control and imposition of their own interests. The “constructive chaos” that they have managed to impose is destabilizing the majority of countries. This “chaos” also produced the rise and growth of the “Islamic State” and other terrorist/extremist organizations who are spreading horror and death.
In this difficult environment, the struggle of the Palestinian people continues for the termination of the Israeli occupation that has gone on from 1967. We do not hide our anxiety about the developments. The growing colonialization in the occupied Palestinian territories represents a flagrant violation of International Law. It tends to destroy any possibility of implementing a two-state solution. The number of settlers in the territories of East Jerusalem and the West Bank have exceeded 750,000. At the same time there are five million Palestinian refugees.
Currently the Palestinian issue is not on the front pages of the international press. It is overshadowed by the Syrian drama. However, the daily raids and arrests by the Israeli army have not stopped, as well as the demolition of houses, sheds and even of school facilities too. The political prisoners number 7,000, among them children and women.
All these events are recorded and denounced by the UN, but also in a series of conclusions of the European Council. This is not enough. Immediate action is demanded to put an end to the settlements and daily violations of the human, political and national rights of the Palestinian people.
AKEL is well aware of the heroic struggle of the Palestinian people. We share its demand for the termination of the occupation and the ending of the colonization, for the implementation of the UN resolutions and the establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. A state that will live in peace and security alongside the state of Israel, and all its other neighbors. 137 UN member states have already recognized the Palestinian state. This must be translated into reality. This is the only way Israelis and Palestinians can live and build a peaceful future for their children.
In view of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, we reaffirm the solidarity of AKEL with the Palestinian people. Our vision is to function as a bridge of peace and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, boosting cooperation in all areas.
