Joint Statement of Communist and Workers Parties

We stand against the widening of war in the Middle East!

We, the undersigned communist and workers parties campaigning for peace and progress in the Middle East, hereby express ourmost profound concernsover the unprecedented escalation of the situation in the regionwith the Israeli multi-dimensional attacks on Lebanon and full-scale invasion of the country. This has predictably resulted in the retaliatory missile strikes by Iran on Israeli targets, following on from Israeli attacks on Lebanon and other provocative infringements on Iranian sovereignty.

We believe that if the current trend of developments continues, the region will be plunged into a cycle of conflict that could very easily lead to a globalised war.  This would endanger the security of all states and peoples in our region.

In Israel, the Netanyahu government, which has flagrantly violated international law in its perpetration of a genocidal war in Gaza for the past 12 months, assassination of political leadersin Tehran and Beirut,and now in its invasion of Lebanon and blatant recourse to terror tactics to eliminate its foes there, is seeking a direct military conflict with Iran in order to expand the war across the Middle East, in collusion with the US and UK governments, to aggressively implement schemes fundamentally aimed at the re-drawing of the political map of the Middle East and imposition of their imperialist hegemony.

The state of Israel conducts itself as the wild arsonist in the Middle East, while Western powers continue to cover, support, and arm it to the teeth, since it constitutes their long and steely arm in the region.This despite Israel's repeated brazen thumbing its nose to the international community, under the auspices of the United Nations (UN), as well as the rule of international law.

We recognise the definitive peaceful and political resolution of the Palestinian issue as being central to the current situation in the Middle East.  We therefore call for an immediate full ceasefire and end to the genocidal war in Gaza andthe West Bank and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from those territories; the release of all Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli gaols and detention centres; the release of all remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza; as well immediate concrete and legally enshrined steps towards the recognition and implementation of a fully sovereign Palestinian state within the borders as they stood on 4 June 1967 as per the relevant UN resolutions.  In accordance with international law, the illegal occupation of Palestine must be brought to an end.

We furthermore call for the immediate withdrawal of all Israeli military forces from the sovereign territory of Lebanonand reaffirm our solidarity with the struggle of the Lebanese and Palestinian people and support for their fundamental and inalienable right under international law to resist foreign invasion and occupation. We also call for an endto the bombardment and military targeting of sites in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, and further afield.

Pursuant to this, we call for an end to all exports of military armaments, ammunition, as well as technical assistanceto Israel in order to force a reversal from its dangerous military adventure in Palestine, Lebanon, and other countries in the Middle East.

We call for the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding theIsraeli genocidal war in Gaza to be upheld and implemented without delay or obstruction.

We call for the UN's appeals to all sides to be heeded in order so as to earnestly row back from and avert the nightmarish scenario of a generalised war, which edges over closer and would spell disaster for all peoples of the region.

SolidNet Parties signing the Joint Statement

1. Communist Party of Armenia
2. Communist Party of Australia
3. Communist Party of Austria
4. Party of Labour Austria
5. Communist Party of Azerbaijan
6. Communist Party of Bangladesh
7. Communist Party of Brazil
8. Communist Party of Britain
9. New Communist Party of Britain
10. Communist Party of Canada
11. Colombian Communist Party
12. Socialist Workers Party of Croatia
13. AKEL of Cyprus
14. Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
15. Communist Party of Denmark
16. Communist Party of Finland
17. French Communist Party
18. German Communist Party
19. Communist Party of Greece (KKE)
20. Hungarian Workers Party
21. Communist Party of India
22. Communist Party of India [Marxist]
23. Tudeh Party of Iran
24. Communist Party of Iraq
25. Kurdistan Communist Party -Iraq
26. Workers Party of Ireland
27. Communist Party of Israel
28. Italian Communist Party
29. Party of Communist Refoundation Italy
30. Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan
31. Communist Party of Luxembourg
32. Communist Party of Malta
33. Communist Party of Mexico
34. New Communist Party of the Netherlands
35. Communist Party of Norway
36. Communist Party of Pakistan
37. Palestinian Peoples Party
38. Philippine Communist Party (PKP-1930)
39. Portuguese Communist Party
40. Romanian Socialist Party
41. Communist Party of the Russian Federation
42. Russian Communists Workers Party
43. Communists of Serbia 
44. New Communist Party of Yugoslavia
45. Communist Party of Spain
46. Communist Party of the Workers of Spain
47. Communists of Catalonia
48. Communist Party of Sri Lanka
49. Sudanese Communist Party
50. Communist Party of Sweden
51. Syrian Communist Party
52. Communist Party of Turkey
53. Communist Party of Ukraine
54. Communist Party of Uruguay
55. Communist Party USA
56. Communist Party of Venezuela

Other Parties

1. Communist Front of Italy
2. Communist Party Nepal (Unified Socialists) 
3. Communist Workers' Platform USA
4. Party of Communists USA

The Joint Statement is open for further signatures