Letter of solidarity of the Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO) to the Ambassador of Palestine in Cyprus
15 September 2023
PEO expresses its abhorrence in a letter sent by its General Secretary Sotiroula Charalambous to the Palestinian Ambassador to Cyprus Abdalla Attari regarding the new unacceptable action of the Israeli occupation army against Palestinian women in the town of Hebron where during a raid a number of women were forced to undress at gunpoint.
The letter to the Palestinian Ambassador to Cyprus is reproduced below:
“To: His Excellency Ambassador of the State of Palestine Abdalla Attari.
Mr. Ambassador,
We have been appalled to learn of the new unacceptable and criminal act by the Israeli occupation army against Palestinian women in the city of Hebron where during a raid they forced a number of women to undress under the threat of weapons and military dogs.
Apart from violating the UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit any Israeli from entering Area A where the city of Hebron is located, the racist and sexist actions against defenseless women violate every human right.
These acts are a continuation of the daily crimes committed by the State of Israel using military force against the Palestinian people in the occupied territories.
We demand that the international community, and the European Union in particular, abandon the policy of double standards, and act immediately, using the principles of international law to end the daily violations of the human rights of the Palestinians and to put an end to the occupation.
Cyprus remains a victim of occupation and colonisation and correctly bases its foreign policy on the application of the principles of international law. However, the Cyprus Government’s choice to align the country’s interests with the State of Israel, which refuses to comply with UN resolutions, does not ensure more security for our country but instead creates more dangers.
PEO reaffirms its solidarity with the struggles of the Palestinian people and its unwavering support for their right to live in freedom and dignity in an independent and sovereign state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
We demand the immediate release of the thousands of Palestinians and other political prisoners, including young children being held in Israeli prisons, the demolition of the wall, an end to the colonalisation and the return of all the refugees.
We assure you that through the ranks of the international class-based trade union movement of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) we will continue to stand in solidarity until the final vindication of the struggle of the Palestinian people.
Yours sincerely,
Sotiroula Charalambous
General Secretary of PEO
15/9/2023