Katmandou, Nepal 2024 – Today, on February 21st, we conclude the successful 16th session of the World Social Forum in Nepal. We express our gratitude to the organizing committee, participants, and volunteers whose efforts led to this success. We take pride in the strong solidarity shown towards the Palestinian cause by all participants and condemn the ongoing genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza for over four months.
As we collectively reflect on the thousands of lives lost in Gaza, we cannot ignore the long history of crimes against the Palestinian people dating back to the Al Nakba in 1948. We assert that Israel has become a rogue state, enabled by global hegemonic forces.
The current crisis in Gaza is unparalleled, and the suffering of the Palestinian people extends beyond Gaza to all occupied territories. This crisis challenges democratic, humanitarian, and international justice values and exposes the bias of global powers towards the occupation state.
This bias has permeated not only governments but also sectors of Western and international public opinion, leading some human rights activists and intellectuals to abandon their principles and align with the extremist Israeli government, disregarding Palestinian suffering.
Our shared convictions against neoliberalism and colonial hegemony, and our belief in global solidarity, compel us to recognize Palestine as central to our collective liberation. The injustices faced by the Palestinian people mirror broader struggles against colonialism and capitalism.
The convictions that brought us together in this global space against neoliberalism and colonial hegemony, in favour of the rights of peoples and human beings, and our belief in the values of global solidarity, make us realise that our future is Palestine, which is not only fighting for its own liberation but also for ours.
The injustice which the Palestinian people are facing is a microcosm of the global injustices that are intertwined with the broader struggle against contemporary forms of colonialism and capitalism. In view of the fact, that we share a common humanity with the Palestinians, and with all the peoples of the world, and because the Palestinian issue today radically raises crucial questions about the capacity of international public opinion to activate solidarity and stop the double standards.
In light of this, as members of the International Council of the World Social Forum, we call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to the genocide, the lifting of the siege on Gaza, adequate humanitarian aid, cessation of settler attacks in the West Bank, halt to settlement activity, third-party arms embargo, and affirmation of the Palestinian right to self-determination and an end to occupation.
We endorse the proposal of the Mashreq-Maghreb Social Forum to hold a special session in Solidarity with Palestine in Tunisia on May 10th, 11th, and 12th, 2024. Additionally, we call for an international solidarity day on May 15th, ALNakba Day, as a new opportunity to galvanize global support for Palestine and reignite hope for lasting solidarity based on human rights, social justice, and rejection of racism and hatred. We urge all to contribute to the success of these initiatives.