Peaceful rally opposes Trump’s Jerusalem move

“The Palestinians are a people with a fighting spirit who have endured 70 years of occupation they will endure 70 years more but will never give up.” Shaoquett Moselmane MLC

17/12/2017

(Translation appears in Arabic section)

Sydney: US President Donald Trump’s decision to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has sent shock waves throughout the Middle East. Here in Australia, pro-Palestine protesters have held a peaceful rally in Sydney to oppose Mr Trump’s provocative stance.

Thousands of flag waving protesters have gathered around Sydney Town Hall on yesterday, to voice their disapproval of the intention to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The rally, led by Shaoquett Moselmane MLC the director of Labor in the NSW Parliament and Greens’ MP Mehreen Faruqi, was organised by the Solidarity Committee with the Palestine in Sydney and the Palestine Action Group.

The event included many leading activists from the Arab community with prominent speakers included Demin Rajoul, Dalia Kassem, Louisa Romanos and Palestinian Club President Jamil Batshoun.

Their message was clear: Jerusalem must remain the free and liberated capital of Palestine. The speakers also paid tribute to the struggle of the Palestinian throughout their country including the occupied Golan Heights.

Moselmane

Mr Moselmane delivered a keynote speech where he flatly rejected Mr Trump’s Jerusalem declaration.

“We reject it because it violates the right of the Palestinian people to their eternal capital,” Mr Moselmane said.

“No one has the right to give away what is not theirs; not the US President, not the UN.

“I am proud to say that Australia along with all nations around the globe have taken an unambiguous stance against the President’s declaration.

“Trump’s declaration has meant the US, under this President, can no longer be seen as the honest broker or mediator. Trump has trashed decades of peace negotiations.

“No matter how hard the occupation tries, they will never eradicate Palestine from the Palestinian consciousness. The Palestinians are a people with a fighting spirit who have endured 70 years of occupation they will endure 70 years more but will never give up. Justice is on their side and justice will prevail and we salute them for their tenacity and perseverance.

“As a member of the Australian Labour Party, I affirm Labour’s support for a just two-state solution, based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. For me any agreement must provide a solution to the Palestinian Refugees and ensure their right of return. Peace must not be at the expense of the Palestinian People in Israel, in the occupied territories and in the diaspora.

The people of the Middle East have never cowered to their authoritarian governments. In fact, they’ve never trusted their governments. That is why forces of resistance are today on the rise and they are on the rise right across the Arab world.”

After the speeches, the participants went to the US Consulate Centre, accompanied by police officers to keep the demonstration safe. In front of the US Consulate building, many activists spoke out against the Trump decision and the policy of the US and the Western Coalition, who support the Zionist occupier. They also demanded an end to Zionist settlement migration to Palestine and the release of heroic prisoners.