The only solution is the termination of the Israeli occupation and colonalisation of Palestine
13TH May 2021, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia
The international community cannot remain neutral, nor adopt a position of equal distancing by equating the victim with the perpetrator. It is inconceivable for the international community to be bypassing the repeated war crimes being committed, the multiple violations of international humanitarian law by Israel to the detriment of Palestinian civilians, nor even the illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip since 2007. Unfortunately, the tolerance shown to the creation of new fait accompli that are reversing numerous resolutions of the UN Security Council on the framework for the solution of the Palestinian problem and the toleration of the daily violence being committed against the Palestinians by the state of Israel fuel the vicious circle of bloodshed.
Denouncing all forms of violence against civilians, AKEL stresses that the events that led to the escalation of tension and conflict cannot be distorted: it came after the days of violence against Palestinians, Christians and Muslims, with bans imposed on them attending religious sites by the Israeli armed forces in violation of the status of the holy sites in Jerusalem. The escalation of tension and conflict came after continuous provocations and the ongoing attempts to violently expel Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem and the deployment of settlers in their homes. It is part of the goal of transforming Jerusalem into a purely Jewish city – the “indivisible” capital of Israel – as a continuation of the occupation since 1967 of East Jerusalem.
As Cypriots, victims of occupation, uprooting and colonalisation, we do not tolerate the occupation and colonalisation of Palestine. Nor can we align ourselves with those who are covering up these crimes. That is precisely why AKEL is questioning the stance of the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus, who found no words to denounce the provocations and violence against the Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, nor the raids of the Israeli aircraft bombing raids in Gaza. While even the European Foreign Policy chief, despite trying to maintain a position of equal distancing, he has in essence admitted that Israel must account for violations of international humanitarian law. The transformation of Cyprus into an obedient supporter of Israel can only bring pain and misery, including the loss of support for our struggle against Turkish occupation and colonization.
AKEL expresses its wholehearted solidarity with the heroic Palestinian people and reiterates that the international community has a duty to defend it immediately. The only solution for Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and for peace to prevail in the troubled region of the Middle East is the immediate termination of the Israeli occupation and colonalisation, the immediate recognition of an independent viable Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital.
