A year has passed since the October 7 attacks by Hamas. Since the subsequent disproportionate response from Israel, DiEM25 has put the majority of its focus on strongly condemning Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s actions in the form of street actions, protests, livestreamed discussions and articles.
We have highlighted key points and issues that the majority of establishment media outlets and politicians purposefully ignore, and have fearlessly spoken out about the ongoing atrocities that Israel perpetrates against the innocent civilians in Palestine.
Condemnation of collective punishment
From the offset, our co-founder Yanis Varoufakis, as well as members and contributors, were quick to criticise the notion of ‘collective punishment’, especially the framing of all Palestinians as guilty for Hamas’ actions.
Just two weeks after the October 7 attacks, we held a livestream titled ‘Gaza screams for help. Why won’t Europe listen?’, where Varoufakis emphasised that blaming all Palestinians for Hamas’ actions was not only unfair but also perpetuated racism and war crimes.
He compared this to blaming all Israelis for the actions of far-right ministers in the Israeli government, a form of collective guilt that he deems both morally wrong and legally indefensible.
Israeli apartheid
To highlight the severity of Israel’s actions, it is important to provide historical context, which is why we have drawn parallels between Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and South Africa’s apartheid regime and its actions.
Varoufakis highlighted that numerous Israeli and international figures, including a former Mossad director, have described Israel’s policies toward Palestinians as a form of apartheid. This apartheid system is the root cause of the ongoing violence, with continued occupation and systemic inequality ensuring that peace remains elusive.
When a former Mossad Director concurs that Israel is imposing Apartheid on the Palestinians, is there more to say other than “End Apartheid to Give Peace a Chance”? https://t.co/p6895CjqWJ
— Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis) October 7, 2023
These are war crimes
While we recognised the awful Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, the subsequent actions of Israel’s government and military are war crimes, and need to be highlighted as such, as mainstream media outlets constantly attempt to sugar coat the severity of Netanyahu’s actions.
We have faced plenty of backlash for calling things as they are, but when Varoufakis was challenged by a defender of Israel’s army to present a list of Israeli war crimes since October 7, he duly did.
Then, on May 20 this year, the International Criminal Court backed up this notion, announcing that it was seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, a decision that both DiEM25 and MERA25 support.
Defending free speech and fighting Islamophobia in Europe
We have been critical of Europe’s response to the conflict, especially the increasing suppression of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and free speech under the guise of combating anti-Semitism, which our members have suffered from first-hand.
We long warned that conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism would stifle legitimate criticism of Israeli policies and fuel Islamophobia across Europe, but not everybody heard us. We argued for maintaining a space for public solidarity with Palestinians while combating hate speech and anti-Semitism in all forms, but even that was considered too harsh by the most ‘civilised’ of countries.
The episodes that took place at the Palestine Congress in April earlier this year proved that. Just when Varoufakis was due to give a speech at the Palestine Congress in Berlin – an event that we co-organised and that our party MERA25 Germany played a big part in making happen – the German police burst into the venue and disbanded the event 1930s style.
Long-time defenders against illegal Israeli settlements
Our staunch support of Palestine, of course, did not start after Israel’s disproportionate response to the October 7 attacks, exemplified by our own policy position on the conflict which far predates last year’s events. Since our formation, we have strongly been defending Palestine against Israel’s illegal settlement occupation.
The latest round of Israeli attacks only served to amplify our voice against the ongoing encroachment of Palestinian territory, as we partnered with the ‘Stop Trade With Settlements’ campaign, which supports the creation of a law that will apply to EU relations with occupied territories anywhere, sending a powerful message around the world that the EU will no longer reward territorial aggression with trade and profits.
We have also launched petitions for an immediate suspension of Israel from participation in all international sports until it fully complies with international law and sports regulations, as well as for the resignation of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen for violating the European Union’s legal framework and disregarded basic moral decency in regards to Palestine.
DiEM25’s official stance on Israel-Palestine
In June, 2021, after weeks of lively debates within our movement (see forum discussion and video debate), DiEM25 members decided that our position on Israel-Palestine should be that of a Single Democratic Secular State solution.
In the face of the terrible loss of civilian life during Hamas’ attack on Israel, and of Israel’s ongoing, unjustifiable collective punishment of the people of Gaza, we renewed our call for the solution here. You can download the full document here.
Open letter to the judges of the International Criminal Court
On the one-year anniversary of October 7, Yanis Varoufakis and Brian Eno co-penned an open letter to the International Criminal Court, calling for it to uphold its duty of bringing such crimes to justice, to uphold International Law by prosecuting self-evident war crimes in Israel-Palestine, lest genocide becomes normalised across the world, which can be read in full, here.
We continue to demand international action
We have and will continue to demand a stronger international response to Israel’s policies and advocating for an end to Western complicity in Israeli war crimes. We must remember that the Hamas attacks did not occur in a vacuum, but were the result of decades of occupation.
While we condemn every act of violence, it is crucial to remember that there are nuances that must be factored into each situation, including scale and historical context.
Seeing as global powers, particularly the European Union and the United States, have failed to hold Israel accountable, we will keep speaking out against the ongoing violence and occupation, and we hope that you will continue to support us in this mission.
Tune in to our livestream on October 8: War, Resistance, and What Comes Next
As we mark the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, the Israeli government has brought the Middle East to the brink of war. Backed by the West, Israel’s genocide in Gaza continues, and the conflict has expanded to fronts like Lebanon. Israeli actions in Iran and Lebanon have escalated tensions, drawing in Tehran.
The humanitarian toll is immense, with over 40,000 Palestinians killed and millions displaced. Yet, despite widespread protests, particularly in Europe, activism has not stopped the war or changed policy. Israel continues with the full support of the US, Germany, and other Western governments.
How did we get here? What could a wider war mean for the region and beyond? How should we assess activist strategies moving forward?
Join Yanis Varoufakis, Wieland Hoban (Jewish Voice for a Just Peace), Lucas Febraro (BDS), activist and academic Nour Hariri, and more as we discuss the conflict, activism, and the path ahead. Tune in live and share your questions!
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