This weekend, the Zionist movement, its organizations, and the colonial powers supporting them are celebrating the 125th anniversary of the convening of the first Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland in 1897. This infamous conference established the nucleus of the Zionist colonial project, including the Jewish National Fund and the settler movement targeting Palestine. This criminal conference, led by Theodor Herzl, was dedicated to the beginning of the establishment of the claimed “Jewish state” and the creation of the first Zionist colonies in occupied Palestine. This Congress dedicated itself to the establishment of the aggressive colonial project uprooting the Palestinian and Arab people from their land, functioning in service of the colonialist and imperialist powers in the region and the world, and playing as a “guard dog” for Western imperialist interests.
Today, after more than 125 years, and after the forced displacement and the establishment of the Zionist entity in 1948, the commitment and determination of the Palestinian people remain firmly embodied today in their daily resistance, confirming that the national liberation struggle continues to confront Zionist colonialism and imperialism, despite the massacres, siege and deprivation of their most basic political, civil and human rights. Despite the policy of forced impoverishment and underdevelopment, isolation, marginalization and dispossession, which were and remain the central pillars of the imperialist and Zionist colonial project, Palestine resists and lives. This resistance confronts all efforts by hostile powers to protect the racist, illegitimate settler colonial entity and liquidate Palestinians’ inalienable right to return.
Today, the facts are clear and the reality is visible to all: Palestinians are struggling to confront the racist settler-colonial Zionist entity and its imperialist partners in Palestine. The Zionist movement in support of this entity has been inherited by one empire after another, in service of their projects of domination over our region and our peoples, playing a role as a policeman and security guard first for the interests of Britain and France, and now in the interests of US imperialism. These forces have controlled and dominated our region with the power of economic exploitation and military assault with the weapons of war, seeking to consolidate the existence of the Zionist entity and the rule of reactionary forces in subordinate regimes and kingdoms of dependency, obscurantism and backwardness imposed upon our peoples to prevent their free and independent development.
The ongoing struggle between our Arab peoples, with the Palestinian people at the core, and the Zionist imperialist project, this struggle that began over 125 years ago, has not and will never be resolved in favor of the forces of colonialism, domination, capitalism and exploitation. Our people are Palestinian fighters who continue to struggle in every part of their land, throughout the homeland, in exile and diaspora, holding fast to the right to return and to national and social liberation. These past decades, up to the battles of Seif al-Quds and the Unity of the Fields that the Palestinian resistance fought only days ago, are marked by immortal revolutionary actions that have cemented themselves deep within our national and popular memory and in the conscience of all humanity.
Our movement, the Masar Badil, had the honor of participating in the launch of a wide international campaign against the celebrations commemorating the Zionist movement in Basel, Switzerland. This campaign emphasizes the central role of the Palestinian people in diaspora and our friends and comrades from revolutionary, allied and friendly forces in support of the Palestinian cause in acting to confront the Zionist colonial project. Our battle against the Zionist movement is the battle of all free people and forces of revolutionary change and popular liberation around the world.
The Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement sends its comradely and militant greetings to our international comrades who took the initiative to organize anti-Zionist activities and demonstrations in Basel and many European cities, to stand in a principled manner with the struggle of our people and our legitimate cause, as an integral part of the revolutionary movement and the Masar Badil, along with its organizations, members and actions of struggle in Europe and around the world.
We salute all of our revolutionary comrades in Switzerland, Norway, Canada and all areas of the world who announced their participation in the activities in support of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement in the occupation jails, organized by the Samidoun Network, as well as demonstrations and actions confronting the policy of Israeli assassinations. This is particularly important as this day marks the 21st anniversary of the assassination of Palestinian revolutionary leader Abu Ali Mustafa, General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who was assassinated by occupation forces in occupied Ramallah with U.S.-made missiles in 2001. On this occasion, we renew our pledge of loyalty to this great and courageous Palestinian national leader, and we pledge to him to continue on the path of return and liberation until Palestine is victorious, liberated from the river to the sea.
Long live the revolutionary movement that stands with the Palestinian people’s liberation struggle!
Long live international solidarity with the Palestinian people and their just cause, for liberation and return!
Together, we will be victorious!
Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement (Masar Badil)
August 27, 2022