Left-wing opposition AKEL marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on Saturday, established by the UN General Assembly in 1977.
In a statement, AKEL said that 77 years after the Nakba, ‘the catastrophe’, the Palestinian people continue to struggle for an independent, viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, within the 1967 borders.
The party described the conflict in the Gaza Strip as “the first genocide of the 21st century”, adding that Israel continues to violate international law, international humanitarian law, and human rights, despite the recently agreed ceasefire.
AKEL noted the recent focus on the West Bank, “combined with settler violence, the uprooting of olive trees, and the seizure of Palestinian land aimed at new illegal settlements and the expulsion of those who have cultivated that land with their sweat for centuries”.
The opposition party criticised the EU for hesitating over suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, despite the fact Article 2 of the agreement provides for its suspension in the event of human rights violations.
AKEL slammed the Cypriot government and political forces for not finding “the strength to condemn the crime taking place next to us” and the use of the British bases “to support Israel’s war machine”.
The party also expressed its “solidarity with the progressive forces in Israel, which – under extremely difficult circumstances – have continued to call for an end to the occupation.”
“Only with the end of the occupation and with an independent Palestinian state can lasting and permanent peace be achieved,” AKEL concluded.