The Green party and Dipa on Thursday issued statements calling on Cyprus’ government to take decisive action in light of a new military offensive having been launched by the State of Israel in Gaza and a lack of humanitarian aid reaching the strip.
“We must choose a side and the side of humanity is one: save lives now!” The Green party said.
It added that humanity is facing a crime which is unfolding in real time with the tacit tolerance of the international community.
“Since March 2, Israel has blocked the entry of food, water, medical equipment and hygiene supplies, exacerbating an already catastrophic situation. According to international data, at least 18,000 children have already been killed in Gaza in the last 19 months. Now, the surviving children are being driven to starvation.”
The systematic deprivation of basic survival conditions is not defence, but a war crime, and an act of genocide, the party added.
It went on to express its serious disappointment at the stance of the Republic of Cyprus, which did not sign an international declaration urging Israel to permit the full, unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and raised “procedural” objections to the European Union’s plan to review the bloc’s pact which governs its political and economic ties with Israel.
“We call on the government to change course … Our silence makes us complicit. We cannot remain neutral in the face of organised crime. The lives of civilians cannot be weighed in the balance of geopolitical interests.”
Elsewhere, Dipa said that “we are watching with agony the human tragedy unfolding in Gaza and the violation of international justice and the just conduct of war.”
“We call on the international community not to look away for reasons of political gain but to immediately implement United Nations security council resolution 2720.”
Security council resolution 2720 was adopted in December 2023, and called for increased aid to be supplied to Gaza amid a humanitarian crisis which unfolded after the State of Israel launched its first military offensive in the strip in October of that year.
“The international community cannot continue to be non-participatory … Tolerance of such precedents could rebound on weaker states which depend on the institution of international justice, including Cyprus,” Depa said.
Elsewhere, the Cyprus Peace Council has planned a protest on May 26 outside the presidential palace.
The organisation is taking a stand at what it called “President Christodoulides’ support of Israel” and in condemnation of the Israel Defence Force (IDF)’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, which it said is “based on Israel’s genocidal policy”.
Click here to change your cookie preferences