COLOMBO: Protesters in Colombo gathered for one more rally in solidarity with Palestine on Thursday, after Sri Lankan MPs collectively urged the UN to cease the continued Israeli onslaught on Gaza.
Sri Lankans have been taking to the streets to point out their assist for Palestinians because the starting of Israel’s lethal bombardment final month.
The assist comes additionally from Sri Lankan parliamentarians, greater than 150 of whom signed on Tuesday an open letter to the UN secretary-general demanding that the intergovernmental physique “swiftly act by taking crucial steps to be imposed on Israel to cease its onslaught, oppressions, and aggressions in opposition to the individuals of Palestine.”
Dozens of individuals took half within the protest held in entrance of the Colombo Fort Railway Station on Thursday, carrying banners and placards studying “Finish! Israeli Apartheid Rule,” “Palestinian Lives Matter,” and “Cease Bombing Gaza,” together with Palestinian flags.
“(We wish) to point out solidarity with the Palestinian individuals and categorical our opposition on the Israeli regime, and in addition categorical our anger on the means Israel, with the assistance of the US, (are) conducting this warfare,” Srinath Perera from North-South Solidarity Group, which organized the rally, informed Arab Information.
Israel has reportedly killed greater than 11,500 Palestinian civilians residing within the besieged enclave. Not less than 4,600 youngsters are believed to be among the many lifeless, as Israeli forces continued their assaults and hit hospitals, ambulances, colleges, and refugee camps.
Sri Lanka’s solidarity with Palestine stems again to its early days of independence in 1948, as post-independent Sri Lankan governments and folks “noticed the Palestinian situation as a colonial downside and supported their trigger,” Ameen Izzadeen, senior journalist and worldwide editor of The Sunday Occasions weekly, mentioned.
“Throughout the heydays of the Non-Aligned Motion, Sri Lanka had been on the forefront of championing the Palestinian trigger. Even after the Non-Aligned Motion misplaced its relevance after the demise of the Chilly Struggle and nations within the Center East began normalizing ties with Israel, Sri Lanka continued to assist the Palestinian trigger,” Izzadeen informed Arab Information.
Assist for Palestine continued “regardless of Sri Lanka’s diplomatic relations with Israel,” he mentioned, which have been established in 1956. Tel Aviv was a key provider of superior army {hardware} for Colombo through the civil warfare fought from 1983 to 2009. Right now, most Sri Lankans are pro-Palestine.
“The Sri Lankan authorities has caught to the nation’s conventional coverage of assist within the Palestinian trigger … (and) a lot of the youth are pro-Palestinian,” Izzadeen added.
Naina Mohammed Ameen, president of the Sri Lanka Muslim Media Discussion board, mentioned Sri Lankans throughout the nation had been holding numerous gatherings to coach the general public on what was taking place in Gaza.
“In the mean time, day by day there appears to be a protest and workshop on explaining the Gaza scenario. It isn’t solely Colombo, all around the island (there are) many protests and discussions on the Palestinian situation,” Ameen added.
“This Palestinian solidarity motion represents the Muslims, Tamils, Sinhalese, not solely that there are various political events … Sri Lankan persons are anticipating the liberty of Palestinian individuals.”
