As part of a global strike demanding the end of Israel’s genocidal aggression on the Gaza strip, a general strike has been declared across Palestine on Monday, April 7.
The strike saw a total shutdown and cessation of all economic, educational, and operational activities throughout the day. Simultaneously, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in the West Bank’s central city of Ramallah demanding an immediate ceasefire.
Despite systematic suppression and heavy scrutiny by the Israeli occupation authorities, Palestinians, who live in the territories that were occupied by Israel in 1948, organized a protest in the northern Palestinian city of Nazareth.
Peoples Dispatch spoke to prominent Palestinian political leaders and activists, who took part in Ramallah’s demonstrations, about the importance of the general strike, and whether further efforts should be made on the national and international levels towards the people of Gaza.
Qadura Fares
Among those leaders was Mr. Qadura Fares, a former Palestinian minister, who previously acted as the head of the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.
“Popular action is a universal and international struggle tool, which has always made big changes and transformations, and led to the liberation of peoples.” Mr. Fares said.
“Now, as the Palestinian people have been subjected to a genocidal war, the popular action has become a demand. It should be organized, intensified, continuous and persistent, in solidarity with Gaza and in confrontation with the [Israeli] occupation forces,” he added.
Mustafa Barghouti
For his part, the secretary general and co-founder of the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI), Dr. Mustafa Barghouti said: “the voices that you are hearing today from the united Palestinian people, and the outcry of all the peoples around the globe including the people in the United States and Europe, represent a call on their governments, which failed to implement the international law and impose it on Israel, to stop their hypocrisy and deception.”
Dr. Barghouti urged the governments of these countries to “impose sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide and brutal massacre taking place in the Gaza Strip.”
“Neither us, nor anyone else can withstand the permanence of this genocide,” he emphasized.
“Each country that fails to abide by its commitment will be considered as a partner in the crime of terrorism, the crime of genocide, and war crimes against the Palestinian people,” Dr. Barghouti warned.
Omar Assaf
Meanwhile, political activist, freedom fighter, and former prisoner in Israeli jails, Mr. Omar Assaf, called for building on the general strike and to escalate the mobilization on the national level.
He also pointed out that the mobilization should be expanded “to the Arab and Islamic regions alongside all the free people around the globe” in a way that “exerts pressure on the world in the first place so that it would move to stop these crimes and genocide.”
Reproaching Palestinian decision makers, Mr. Assaf stated: “the escalation should also be directed to the Palestinian political level, whose performance should be elevated to a level that is consistent with the challenges and sacrifices that our people have endured. It should comply with the will of the people and support the choice of the resistance to confront the occupiers.”
