The statement of the Tudeh Party of Iran:

We strongly condemn the horrific crimes of the apartheid regime of Israel in laying siege and bombardment of Gaza and the massacre of Palestinian civilians!

Sunday 15 October 2023 

In recent days, in the capital cities and towns, both large and small, all around the world, there have been magnificent demonstrations of admirable solidarity with the people of Palestine, who have been the target of relentless military aggression by the right-wing extremist Israeli government for over a week in the Gaza Strip. In these acts of solidarity with the Palestinian people, participants, with clear and resolute slogans, including “End the massacre of the Palestinian people”, “Endthe occupation of Palestine” and “Stop the killings and violence”, demanded an immediate end to the criminal siege of the GazaStrip by Israel and called for the recognition of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people. 

The Israeli government, under the pretext of seeking revenge for attacks by Palestinian groups that targeted several border areas in Israel on October 7th, unleashed the continuous bombardments and destruction of Gaza over the past week, utilising jets, tanks, and warships. This military offensive by Israel has thus far resulted in the deaths of more than 2,500 of Gaza residents and has made nearly half a million people homeless. The bombing of Gaza and the targeting of over two million Palestinian people residing in Gaza, who have been under Israel's blockade for years with no escape or sanctuary, are considered war crimes according to international laws. 

According to some reports, the wave of killing of Palestinian civilians is not only limited to the Gaza Strip, which is currently under the complete siege of the occupying Israeli army, but it has also escalated on the West Bank of the River Jordan. Each day, more residents of towns and villages in this region are losing their lives as a result of attacks by Israeli military forces or raids by Zionist paramilitary groups living in Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. 

As a result of the Israeli government's inhumane actions in cutting off supplies of food, water, gas, and electricity for the residents of the Gaza Strip, two-thirds of the 2.2 million residentsof Gaza are at risk of starvation and dehydration and the lack of electricity and gas has also had a significant impact on the functioning of hospitals. A major humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in the Gaza Strip and the primary and direct responsibility for it lies with the Israeli apartheid regime and its supporters and allies, especially the US, UK, and EU imperialism. 

The President, Secretary of State, several members of Congress and the Defence Secretary of the US, as well as the British Foreign Secretary, visited Israel and, despite being fully aware of the dire situation in Gaza resulting from the Israeli government's inhumane actions, publicly declared their comprehensive support for the criminal actions of the Israeli apartheid regime in brutally suppressing the Palestinian people. Despite the protest of the United Nations and international public opinion,Netanyahu, the fascist-minded Prime Minister of Israel, encouraged by the support of imperialist powers that has continued for over half a century, unilaterally announced on Friday 13 October, that all residents of the northern half of the Gaza Strip, including the city of Gaza itself, must evacuate the area within 24 hours and relocate to the southern region of the Gaza Strip. It seems that Israel not only intends to increase pressure on the people of northern Gaza but also seeks to move its military forces into the northern region of the Gaza Strip and the city of Gaza by threatening Palestinians with further bombings and by their forced displacement from north to south, with the ultimate aim of the total occupation of the area and essentially "cleansing" or extensively destroying it. All of this occurs while the evacuation and displacement of people in a densely populated land under siege, if not impossible, is exceedingly difficult. According to reports, some Palestinians havebeen killed during these relocations too. 

The United Nations has declared that the mass evacuation of Gaza residents and the city of Gaza is "impossible" without significant humanitarian consequences. The World Health Organization has also stated that the transfer of the injured, casualties and other Palestinian citizens, such as pregnant women or recent mothers, will come at the cost of their health and even lives and will be a clear crime against these citizens. 

The Tudeh Party of Iran strongly condemns the criminal policies of the Israeli government, especially in the killingof civilians, including women and children, as well as United Nations personnel and journalists, It strongly condemns the constant bombings of residential areas in Gaza, the destruction of homes, hospitals, urban infrastructure, and the cutting off of water, electricity, and fuel supplies to the people of Gaza, all of which constitute a serious violation of international laws. 

The Tudeh Party of Iran, in continuation of its principled and long-standing policy in solidarity with the Palestinian people and its progressive political forces, once again expresses its deep concern over the escalation of current conflicts. These conflicts are fundamentally the result of decades of illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and Israel's colonial domination of the region, and the blatant violation of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people. 

In recent days, Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs has travelled to some countries in the region and held talks with officials from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Qatar regarding the catastrophicsituation in Gaza. He stated that if Israel were to undertake a complete military occupation of Gaza, the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot remain silent. Considering the long-standing mutual hostility between the Israeli government and the Islamic Republic of Iran over the past decades, including threats, assassinations, and mutual sabotage, along with the racist and warmongering policies of the Israeli government on one hand and the adventurous policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region on the other, and given the daily efforts of imperialist powers and their media mouthpieces to present claims of Iranian involvement in the ongoing conflict, while simultaneously dispatching military aid, warships, and fighter jets to the region, any direct intervention by the Islamic Republic of Iran would not only endanger the Middle East significantly, but it could lead Iran into the abyss of a war that would once again be at the expense of the Iranian working people due to the adventurism of the Islamic Republic and global warmongers. The Tudeh Party of Iran is deeply concerned about the flames of war spreading in the region and its threat to Iran's national interests. Spreading the flame of war is to the detriment of the people of the region, especially the people of Palestine, progressive parties and forces, and serves the interests and goals of the reactionary and warmongering circles of the region, such as the right-wing and apartheid regime of Israel and global imperialism, especially the US imperialism. 

In these critical days, it is essential for peace-loving and progressive forces of the world, especially communists,  to act responsibly in their humane duty towards peace, justice, and international solidarity, while highlighting international agreements on Palestine, and calling for their implementation, including the UN resolutions and those of its Security Council which address ending the occupation of Palestinian territories, achieving a just, comprehensive and sustainable resolution to the Palestinian issue, and the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. The United Nations and its executive bodies bear the responsibility of striving for the implementation of adopted resolutions and agreements, including Resolution 181 and 242. Seventy-five years since the establishment of the state of Israel on Palestinian land, the creation of an independent Palestinian state has not yet been realised, primarily due to the extrajudicial influence of imperialist powers and their unwavering support for the apartheid state of Israel. It is imperative that the United Nations takes decisive action and takes steps towards promoting peace in the Middle East and the world. 

The communist and workers parties and other progressive forces worldwide stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their national and progressive forces in their quest for an independent Palestinian state based on the aforementioned UN resolutions, within the borders before 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital and the implementation of clause 11 of General Assembly Resolution 194 regarding the right of return for refugees to their lands and homes. The Tudeh Party of Iran calls for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, the creation of an independent Palestinian state and the full and unconditional implementation of United Nations resolutions in this regard!

The Tudeh Party of Iran

15 October 2023

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