Trade union urges solidarity with Palestinians, calls for peaceful demonstration

Trade union Peo on Wednesday reiterated its support for the Palestinian people by urging people to take part in a peaceful demonstration scheduled for December 3 at Eletheria Square in Nicosia.

“November 29, recognised by the United Nations as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, underlines the heroic efforts of the Palestinian people enduring Israel’s violent assault on the Gaza Strip,” Peo’s statement said.

“Israel’s attack on the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, following Hamas’s assault on October 7, is escalating into genocide, having already caused tens of thousands of deaths and injuries, including many children, with thousands of victims missing under the rubble of their bombed homes.”

The trade union further said that “the massacre of civilians, indiscriminate bombings of hospitals and schools, and displacement are war crimes committed with the provocative tolerance and support received by the state of Israel and the Netanyahu government from the USA, the European Union, and their allies.”

“The ongoing bloodshed needs to push us to intensify our solidarity actions with the struggling Palestinian people.”

Peo also demanded an immediate ceasefire of the hostilities, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners, emphasising that “the only way to ensure peace and security for the people of Palestine and Israel, as well as the wider Middle East, is the immediate termination of Israeli occupation and settlements as provided in UN resolutions and the declaration of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, alongside the State of Israel.”

In the statement, Peo also condemned the stance of the government, accusing it to cooperate with Nato forces and facilitate the use of Cyprus’ territory for military operations.

“The government’s stance only amounts to the cover up of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people,” the statement concluded.