YCL-LJC Salutes the Palestinian people on Nakba Day

Central Executive Committee, May 14th 2020

This statement was originally published on YCL-LJC.ca

On Nakba Day, The YCL-LJC reiterates its wholehearted support for the Palestinian people, and strongly condemns Israel’s occupation and annexation of Palestinian lands. Nakba Day is a day of commemoration for Palestinians who faced mass displacement following the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their towns and villages, many of which were entirely depopulated and destroyed. For 72 years, the Palestinian people have been fighting for recognition of their own state in the image of their national aspirations. Throughout this time, the Israeli apartheid state has organized the deadliest raids, in total violation of human rights and in total violation of international law.

Today, Palestinians continue to struggle against ongoing displacement from their homelands. Currently, more than 5,248,000 live in refugee camps because Israel denies Palestinians the right to return. In contrast, more than 375,000 Israeli settlers are implanted in about 150 settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan, an unacceptable breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

In the face of ongoing colonization and increasing imperialist aggression, Palestinians resisting this violence have been persecuted by the Israeli state. There are now appoximately 5000 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails, including many children. Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, Palestinian political prisoners face even more threats to their safety and health, which is continuing to be neglected by the Israeli apartheid state. In fact, Israel has gone as far as raiding and shutting down Palestinian Testing Clinics in East Jerusalem, while arresting activists providing testing kits to people, though knowing that overcrowded living conditions can lead to a rapid spread of the virus. The Israeli siege of the Gaza strip and West Bank have turned these territories into open-air prisons, in which people have already been kept in lockdown conditions prior to the COVID-19 crisis, and are now facing even greater danger being one of the most densely populated places in the world where the virus can spread at a very fast rate. Now more than ever, we need to oppose Israel’s siege and settlements, where Palestinians face violent oppression, imprisonment and death.

Despite this however, Imperialist countries, most notably the United States, have done everything in their power to increase Israel’s stronghold on Palestinian lands– doing what they can to impede Palestinian self-determination. Recently, Donald Trump proposed his supposed “deal of the century”, which is nothing more than a plan for ongoing occupation. Trump’s plan, backed by Benjamin Netanyahu, aims to cede control of the eastern border with Jordan to Israel, while also proposes to place the Palestinian capital on the eastern outskirts of Jerusalem rather than East Jersualem itself, ultimately strenghtening Israeli settlements while disempowering Palestinians and their right to soveriegnty. As Hadash member Ofer Kassif said, “The Trump plan is not a peace plan but a plan for war, a plan to commemorate the occupation and regulate apartheid. Ignoring the Palestinians and excluding them from formulating the ‘plan’ is the first indication of this.”

The erasure of Palestine from the map has been a goal within imperialism’s larger “Greater Middle East” plan, aimed to destabilize the entire region in order to strengthen imperialism’s hegemony. Imperialists have made it their mission to destroy any nation that gets in their way, while supporting, arming and funding those who have been their allies, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia. It is the iron law of Capitalism in its highest stage, Imperialism, that there be no room for nations, states, or peoples whose development is not in total harmony with the aims of the leading imperialist bloc. The invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, the destruction of Libya, the proxy wars in Syria, the constant threats and sanctioning of Iran, and of course, the destruction of Palestine, are all examples of this.

Being an imperialist country and a close ally of the United States, Canada has played an active role in supporting Israel and their plans to continue annexing and occupying Palestinian territories. For instance, Justin Trudeau has recently sent a letter to the International Criminal Court (ICC) saying it had no jurisdiction to investigate Israeli war crimes against Palestinians. During Israel’s numerous military actions against Gaza throughout the past few years, the Canadian state continued to show its support to Israel while vilifying Palestinians. Moreover, Canada was one of the only countries that shamefully abstained in voting to condemn Trump’s declaration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel back in 2018. Today, Canada has done nothing to oppose Trump’s “deal of the century,” once again showing its support for occupation and displacement. To take it even further, when democratic forces in Canada, especially students, organized behind the growing BDS movement to speak out against the ongoing genocide and colonialism of Israel, the Canadian government condemned us, even through force, in attempts to silence and suppress pro-Palestinian activism. Ultimately, Canada’s support for Israel’s displacement of Palestinians comes to little surprise considering both its role in NATO’s warmongering missions abroad, as well as its own history and ongoing displacement of indigenous peoples here from their lands. In response we say, down with Canadian Imperialism and stop the genocide of indigneous peoples!

On Nakba Day, we denounce, louder than ever, Canada’s shameful position to support Israel’s apartheid system, illegal settlements, and violent oppression and displacement of Palestinians.We continue to support the demands of the Palestinian people, its leadership, and our Palestinian sister organizations in the World Federation of Democratic Youth: for the complete withdrawal of Israel from all occupied territories, dismantlement of the settlements and the Apartheid wall, lifting the siege on Gaza, the full right of return for refugees, the release of all Palestinian prisoners, and Palestinian self-determination. Additionally, the YCL-LJC will continue to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement until Palestinians achieve their full liberation.

At this moment, the most pressing task is to build and strengthen solidarity movements for Palestine both within Canada and internationally. Therfore, in response to the flame of Israeili independence, the YCL-LJC joins our sister organisations today in supporting the “Flame of Return” initiative in remembrance of the Palestinian Nakba, as well as calls to create signs to Free Palestine.

Since 1948, the people of Palestine have been fighting for freedom and their right to self- determination. As long as there is occupation, there will be resistance.

Free Free Palestine! Long Live Palestine!

الشعب يريد تحرير فلسطين

"I stood up to my oppressors

orphaned, nude, and barefoot

I carried my blood in my palm

I never lowered my flags

I guarded the green grass

over my ancestor’s graves

I call on you

I clasp your hands” – Tawfiq Zayyad