Declaration by Izquierda Unida Berlin
From the assembly of Izquierda Unida (“United Left”) in Berlin we denounce the intensification of the criminalization of the movement in defense of the rights of the Palestinian people. The banning of the traditional Al-Quds demonstration is yet another step in the restriction of freedom of expression on the Palestinian question. The accusations of “anti-Semitism” to any defense of the existence of the Palestinian State, to claim its right to self-determination or to designate Israel as a colonialist state and where apartheid is practiced are more and more common every day to silence what is obvious: the constant and persistent violation of human rights in Gaza and the West Bank by the State of Israel, which has at its head in the government Naftali Bennett, an ultranationalist who has declared more than once that he will never allow the creation of a Palestinian state or the return of the Palestinian diaspora to their land.
IU Berlin also supports and stands in solidarity with the organizations such as Jüdische Stimme (“Jewish Voices”, which was labeled as anti-Semitic for denouncing Israel’s actions) or Palästina spricht (“Palestine speaks”), that raise their voices in the German capital to defend the rights of the Palestinian people and suffer constant persecution by politicians, the media and the administration. We also send our support to the youth of Die LINKE (the party of The Left) in Berlin, Linksjugend [‘solid]. Their resolution on Palestine defending the unconditional right of return of the Palestinian diaspora and the designation of Israel as an apartheid state is a turning point for the Left in Germany, so much so that it has led to the threat by members of Die LINKE’s Berlin headquarters to cut off funding to their youth organization for promoting anti-Semitism.
Linksjugend [‘solid] Berlin’s resolution aligns itself with the international left and human rights. The Left MEP in the European Parliament, Manuel Pineda, chairman of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with Palestine, advocates recognition of the Palestinian state and denounces Israel’s non-compliance with the Oslo Accords. Even the United Nations has denounced Israel’s colonialist policy as “a flagrant violation of international law” and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Michael Lynk, has used the term apartheid for Israel’s policy towards the Palestinian people. Amnesty International Spain has also compared the current situation in Palestine to the state racism and apartheid policies of South Africa in an extensive report and has called for sanctions against Israel for violating the Statute of Rome of the International Criminal Court and the Convention against Apartheid. The German left should no longer hesitate to talk about Israel and Palestine.
In the face of all this evidence, claiming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, to have their own state recognized by the entire international community, as well as denouncing Israel’s abuses, is not “anti-Semitism”. Germany has been using the card of “anti-Semitism” from a historical guilt for years, with which they force the Palestinian people to paying with their blood for Nazi crimes. From IU Berlin we condemn any anti-Semitic behavior, whatever the context, but we denounce its use as a political gag. The fight against “anti-Semitism” is to be found in the anti-fascist struggle, against the growth of AfD, Reichsbürger or Der III Weg, extreme right-wing or neo-Nazi organizations.
The assembly of Izquierda Unida Berlin will continue to stand by the Palestinian organizations that defend their rights as a people and we stand in solidarity against the growing pressure that they are facing. No pasarán.
This article originally appeared in Spanish on the mundo obrero Websire. Translation: Jaime Martinez Porro
