PALESTINE
FIGHTS FOR THE WORLDPALESTINE
FIGHTS FOR THE WORLDPeace in the Middle East and a just solution to the Palestinian problem has become a key issue in international developments over the last few months.
Left forces in Europe and in other countries have been in the forefront of very broad and multiform activities of solidarity with the Palestinian people, following the Sharon Government’s decision to declare Yasser Arafat an “enemy” and launch war on the Palestinian people in the occupied territories.
Anticipating the escalation of violence, left parties in Europe held an extraordinary meeting on 12 March 2002 in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on the initiative of the French Communist Party. President R. Hue SYNASPISMOS was represented by its President Nicos Constantopoulos and International Secretary Panos Trigazis. As a result of this meeting a joint appeal was addressed to the EU Summit in Barcelona, asking for an international protection force under the auspices of the UN to be sent to Palestine, a European political initiative to be taken to end the occupation of the autonomous Palestine territories, to assure common security, the end of violence, settlements and Arafat’s siege, to resume negotiations that would lead to peace and to the creation of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital in peaceful coexistence with Israel.
On 4- 5 April 2002 in Nicosia an International Conference for Solidarity with the Palestinian people was organized by AKEL. The Conference was attended by a resolution and a suggested programme of action.
A climax of solidarity activities with the Palestinian people were a series of events on May 12 2002 in various European countries, including a peace marches from Perugia to Assisi and from Marathon to Athens.
The Marathon March for Solidarity with the Palestinian People was organized by a coalition of peace and other social movements in Greece. “Palestine fights for the world - This world should fight for Palestine” was one of the main slogans for the march.
A broad Organizing Committee for the March was set up on the initiative of the movement “CITIZENS OF THE WORLD - for peace, solidarity, human rights and environment”, the Independent Peace Movement (AKE) and the Greek Branch of the IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War). Leading trade unions including the Greek TUC and the Confederation of Civil Servants supported the march.
Foreign guests included Bruce Kent from the CND and the European Network for Peace and Human Rights and Latif Dori, from Israel, Gen. Secretary of the Committee for the Israeli - Palestinian Dialogue.
The resolution approved by the marchers denounces the Sharon government’s decision to wage war on Palestine people with its massive invasion in the Palestinian territories and calls for the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli troops and the launching of a new peace process, which will lead to creation of an independent Palestinian State with Eastern Jerusalem as its capital. It demands the implementation of the UN Resolutions on the Middle East for the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Arab territories and the transformation of the region into a zone of peace, cooperation, common security, democracy and ecological protection, without nuclear and other mass destructive weapons.
In addition, the organizers of the Marathon March sent messages of solidarity to the Peruggia -Assisi March of 12 May 2002, as well as to the great demonstration of the Israeli peace forces in Tel - Aviv on the previous day.
The
Marathon March was only part of a much broader programme of initiatives taken
from Greek parties, peace and other social movements, trade unions, cultural
associations and local government authorities.
Most noticeable among them were the delegations, which visited Israel and Palestine from the next day of the Israeli onslaught. In particular, on 2 - 4.4.2002 a Greek parliamentary delegation including MPs from all parties in the Greek Parliament visited the area. SYN MP P.Lafazanis was among them and also the prominent resistance fighter M.Glezos, PS member of SYN N.Hountis and SYN Foreign Policy Dpt. member G.Vergopoulos.
On 5.4.2002, a group of Group of five MEPs from France, Germany, Italy and Greece visited Israel, among them SYN MEP Alekos Alavanos in order to visit Ramallah. They reached the hospital of Ramallah and marched from there to the zone were President Arafat was besieged.
The
biggest solidarity event in Greece was a music concert on 10.4.2002, in the
central square of Athens (Syntagma Square) organised by trade unions,
political youth organisations, the Palestinian community in Athens and
municipalities. Tens of prominent Greek composers, singers and other artists
participated and supported the concert, with Mikis Theodorakis,
the most prominent among them. Speaking to tens of thousands of people M.
Theodorakis made a strong appeal to the whole world for peace and freedom in
Palestine, an appeal, which was transmitted by the international news media in
many countries.
