A joint statement condemns Israeli ‘genocide’ in Gaza and seizure of Madleen aid ship
NEW DELHI – In a unified show of protest against what they term as Israel’s “genocidal war” in Gaza, five major Left parties have called for observing June 17 as a National Day of Solidarity with Palestine. They also condemned Israel’s recent attack on the Madleen, a humanitarian ship in the Freedom Flotilla bound for Gaza, which Israel intercepted in international waters.
In a joint statement, the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) urged citizens across the country to join demonstrations condemning Israeli military actions and expressing support for the Palestinian cause.
The parties will lead a central demonstration in New Delhi at Jantar Mantar at 11 am on June 17, while calling on democratic, secular, and peace-loving sections of society to organise similar actions nationwide.
The statement sharply criticised the Israeli government for its ongoing assault on Gaza, claiming that over 55,000 Palestinians, a majority of them women and children, have been killed in the conflict that has stretched for more than twenty months. It described the continued bombardment, deliberate targeting of hospitals, schools, and refugee shelters, and blockade of humanitarian aid as acts constituting genocide.
“The people of Gaza are facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” the statement said. “Most inhumanely, Israel is even denying the entry of aid into Gaza.”
The Left parties also condemned Israeli action against Madleen humanitarian ship. They urged the Indian government to demand the release of detained international volunteers and press for the restoration of unrestricted humanitarian access to the besieged region.
Criticism of India’s Shifting Stance
In addition to condemning the Israeli government and its principal ally, the United States, the statement expressed deep concern over what it called a “shameful deviation” in India’s foreign policy under the current regime.
The Left leaders said that the Indian government, under the influence of skewed ideology, has increasingly adopted a stance of “equivocation and appeasement” towards Israel, abandoning India’s historical support for the Palestinian struggle rooted in anti-colonial solidarity.
“It is deeply disturbing that the Government of India, instead of standing firmly with the Palestinian cause, which India has historically supported, has shifted toward silence and complicity,” the statement said. The Left parties called on the government to immediately end all military and security cooperation with Israel and realign its foreign policy with its long-standing position in favour of oppressed peoples and national liberation movements.
Call for Mass Participation
The joint appeal urged citizens, civil society organisations, students, workers, and progressive groups to mobilise in large numbers on June 17. The key demands outlined for the nationwide protests include:
• Condemnation of the genocide and war crimes committed by the Israeli government.
• Expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for dignity, freedom, and nationhood.
• A demand for the Indian government to stop all military and security ties with Israel and adopt a principled, pro-Palestinian stand in international forums.
The Left move comes amid increasing international scrutiny of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, with mounting pressure from global institutions such as the United Nations and the International Court of Justice, both of which have raised alarms over possible violations of international humanitarian law.
With India’s policy stance under the scanner and civil society groups growing more vocal, the June 17 protests could serve as a significant marker of domestic political resistance to the government’s Middle East policy.
