The right-wing extremist, Benjamin Netanyahu, is visiting Berlin from March 15-17th to seal new military deals with Germany during a lunch meeting. Netanyahu has put together a fascist government coalition in Tel Aviv, with ministers who openly refer to Nazism in positive terms. These fascist remarks have already resulted in pogroms against Palestinians, culminating in calls to eradicate entire villages.
Already this year Israel has murdered over 80 Palestinians. Palestinians are trying to defend themselves and resist this onslaught as best they can. These attacks by Israel are not new, nor is the Palestinian resistance to expropriation and expulsion: this Israeli agenda is called the “Nakba”, the ethnic-cleansing of Palestinians which did NOT end 75 years ago, but which is obviously ongoing to this very day!
There have been continuous large demonstrations in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu’s government, but these protests do not address the oppression and ongoing ethnic-cleansing of Palestinians. Israeli protests are concerned solely with the crippling of Israel’s Supreme Court that Netanyahu wants, which would not only further erode rights for non-Jews under Israel’s Apartheid-System, but also ban the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court for war crimes committed by Israel’s Occupation Army. This would make it even easier to sweep these IDF crimes under the carpet.
The pro-Zionist demonstrations in Berlin against Netanyahu suffer from the same prejudice, claiming to defend a democracy which does not exist. Zionism cannot be “reformed” to offer a democratic alternative for people in the region. Its core is the continued expropriation/expulsion of Palestinians, and no change in the Apartheid System, as well as the rejection of the internationally guaranteed right-of-return for refugees. Their only difference to the current fascist representatives is the “Liberal-Zionist” terminology in expressing this racist program.
It is no coincidence that Netanyahu, in spite of his war-crimes record and leading a fascist coalition, is being warmly received by the German Chancellor. The German government has consistently maintained its complicity with war crimes against the Palestinian people, regardless of which government heads the regime in Tel Aviv. Germany offers weapons-systems and economic aid to Israel, in violation of its own laws regarding weapons exports to war zones and the EU Association Treaty which demand Israel respect human-rights for all in the region.
Even worse: Germany oppresses/cancels any and all voices criticizing the fascist government under Netanyahu, stifles any charges against the occupation tactics and agenda. Critical voices are systematically banned from public discussion or even criminalized. Even in Germany, democratic rights to expression and public gatherings are suddenly invalidated, opposition is gagged. The ban on demonstrations for last years “Nakba Day” is just the tip of the iceberg.
But this inspires us all the more to support the Palestinian cause for democratic equality, regardless of ethnic-background, religion, or other external traits, for all people in the region. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
Join the rally against Netanyahu
Thursday, 16th March, 1pm
Scheidemannstraße / Simsonweg
