R11: A de-colonial approach to Palestine and Israel

The Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) and its member organisations are
gravely concerned about the ongoing genocide in Palestine and the broader
geopolitical instability in the region. We are particularly disturbed by the
continued blatant inaction of the international community, the support for
Israel by EU countries and the United States, and the immense scale of human
suffering caused by this situation.

This resolution arises from the need for a clear, strong, anti-imperialist and
decolonial stance on the issue, focusing on finding decolonial and anti-
imperialist responses to the questions surrounding Israel and Palestine. While
previous resolutions have been passed, the current situation demands a renewed
and more focused position. We believe that the European Union (EU), its member
states, and other Western countries have a historical responsibility to do
everything in their power to stop the ongoing violence, while also acknowledging
the role they have played in shaping the present circumstances.

A little bit of context

(Note that this is a incomplete context, as it is impossible to cover everything
in detail. This context is a focus on what we thought was missing in previous
resolutions and in the general discussion about Palestine/Israel)

To arrive at both immediate and long-term solutions, we must examine how the
current situation came to be. For simplicity, this resolution begins in 1923,
the year the British Mandate over Palestinian territory commenced. The mandate
remained in place until 1948, the year in which the Israeli Declaration of
Independence was issued.

Between 1923 and 1948, there was a significant movement of Jewish people into
the region of Palestine — increasing from approximately 84,000 in 1922 to around
630,000 in 1947. A large part of this growth was due to immigration, with a
smaller proportion attributed to natural increase. During the same period, the
Muslim population grew from 589,000 to 1,181,000, mostly as a result of natural
increase.

In the years leading up to the independence of Israel, tensions escalated
between the nationalist groups of Palestinians and Israelis. These tensions
culminated in the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, which
divided the region into three parts: an Arab state, a Jewish state, and the city
of Jerusalem, which was to be placed under UN administration. This partition
plan ultimately failed, and following the First Arab-Israeli War — commonly
known as the Nakba — Palestine was divided into three parts: the Gaza Strip,
under Egyptian control; the West Bank, under Jordanian control; and the State of
Israel.

The present

Taking a significant leap forward — and thus skipping over the period since
1948, since it has already been discussed in previous resolutions — we arrive at
the present situation. Multiple peace proposals have failed, many wars have been
fought, and countless innocent people have been killed, deprived of basic
necessities and displaced.

Since the end of 2023, Israel has escalated its violent actions against the
Palestinian people. More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, and nearly
every resident of the Gaza Strip has been displaced multiple times. There are
severe shortages of food, water, energy, and medicine, as humanitarian aid is
being blocked by Israel. In addition, at least 399 aid workers have been killed
— some even while travelling in clearly marked UN vehicles.

Beyond the Gaza Strip, we have also witnessed increased violence in the West
Bank and the invasion of Lebanon, from which Israel has mostly withdrawn
following the signing of a ceasefire agreement.

The devastating consequences of the illegal occupation and genocide

According to the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
dated 19 July 2024, Israel has illegally occupied Palestinian territory and
failed in its duties under international law to provide safe conditions under
annexation. We are gravely concerned by Israel’s ongoing illegal occupation of
Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, and its repeated violations of its
obligations as an occupying power.

Among the failures to comply with international law are: indiscriminate or
disproportionate attacks on densely populated civilian areas; the deliberate
creation of a humanitarian crisis; the restriction of humanitarian goods
necessary to alleviate that crisis; and the incitement of gender-based violence.

Following the Amnesty International report on Israel’s genocide (2024), it is
evident that Israel has carried out attacks on civilian-dense areas, even after
claiming those areas were free of Hamas fighters. Amnesty International (p. 20)
highlights that these attacks cannot be seen as anything other than deliberate
targeting of civilians, thus constituting a clear violation of international
law.

In addition, Israel has actively contributed to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza
by restricting electricity and diesel imports, displacing civilians, destroying
homes and refugee camps, and damaging sewage systems and agricultural
infrastructure essential for food production (Amnesty International, 2024).
Electricity imports have been virtually halted, making the population dependent
on diesel — imports of which were reduced to just 14% of pre-October 2023 levels
(p. 183). These restrictions have severely impaired critical services such as
hospital operations, water purification, and waste management (p. 184).

Humanitarian aid has been delayed, obstructed, or outright denied by Israeli
authorities. Aid convoys have been harassed, and delivery of aid to the north of
Wadi Gaza has been blocked — even after Israeli claims of Hamas withdrawal from
the area (p. 30). Forced displacement of the population has also led to extreme
overcrowding in the evacuation zones designated by Israel, further worsening the
humanitarian crisis (p. 111).

Israel has incited gender-based violence, as noted in reports from the UN and
the Protection Cluster. Furthermore, pinkwashing — the instrumental use of
LGBTQ+ rights to justify or distract from oppressive actions — must also be
called out as a separate but related issue that manipulates human rights
discourse.

In line with Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention, the creation of
conditions intended to bring about the physical destruction of a group
constitutes genocide. Where direct intent is not yet clear, the ICTY has ruled
that the “objective probability of these conditions leading to the physical
destruction of the group” is a valid basis for judgment (Prosecutor v. Karadžić,
Case IT-95-5/18-T, 2016, para. 548). However, Amnesty considers their report:
‘You feel like a Subhuman’ enough evidence for the Israeli intent to destroy
Palestinians, resolving in them using the term genocide (Amnesty International,
2024, p.278). Given the destruction of critical infrastructure, denial or
obstruction of humanitarian aid, continued attacks on civilian areas, and the
repetition of such acts in zones declared free of combatants, one must conclude
that the actions carried out by Israel constitute genocide. We must recognise
and name it as such.

The Israeli occupation and violent invasion and its devastating consequences —
including the ongoing genocide, starvation of the Palestinian people, bombing of
cities, hospitals, refugee camps, and schools, the taking of civilian hostages
by both Israeli and Palestinian forces, obstruction of medical care, and the
blockade of humanitarian aid, water, and electricity — must end immediately.

The suffering of all people must end now. We recognise the urgent need for both
immediate and long-term solutions to achieve a just and lasting peace — through
a secular, unified one-state solution. All forms of violence and hostilities
must cease. A ceasefire must be reinstated immediately, and negotiations with UN
representatives must resume in earnest. The United Nations Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) must be reinstated and
given immediate access to the people who need it most. Humanitarian workers must
be guaranteed protection and immunity. Any external interference and support
that will aid in continuing the ongoing genocide – including the provision of
weapons, financial aid, or intelligence – must stop at once.

The UN must acknowledge the significant power asymmetry between a colonising
state and a colonised people. The ongoing genocide and occupation cannot be
resolved by merely ending overt acts of violence — whether bombings, starvation,
or the obstruction of aid. A meaningful resolution must address the structural
imbalance between Israel, the colonising power, and Palestine, the colonised
population.

Israel possesses one of the most advanced and well-funded militaries in the
world, bolstered by substantial military, financial, and strategic support from
the United States, including defence systems like the Iron Dome. While violence
from all sides is abhorrent, we must recognise the disproportionate
capabilities: one side possesses cutting-edge defence technology; the other
often shelters in rubble and tents.

Beyond military power, Israel maintains control over the borders, airspace, and
territorial access of both Gaza and the West Bank. It determines which goods and
people may enter or leave Palestinian territories — including life-saving
humanitarian aid. Politically, Israel is a fully recognised sovereign state
under international law, with diplomatic ties across the globe. By contrast,
Palestine holds limited international recognition and is classified as a non-
member observer state at the United Nations. Its governance is fragmented
between the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza, leaving it
without full sovereignty over its borders or economy, and frequently excluded
from meaningful negotiations.

A lasting and just resolution can only be achieved through a solution that
grants Palestinians real agency over their land and people, allowing them to
live in peace, freedom, and equality. This requires negotiations between
Palestinian authorities and Israel, with the goal of establishing a single,
unified secular state. A one-state solution offers a just alternative that is
not rooted in colonial policies introduced during the Oslo Accords or UN
Resolution 181. The two-state solution is a by-product of Western European
colonial history and should no longer be used as a tool to uphold an apartheid
regime or to justify the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.

In practice, Palestinians already live under a one-state reality — one in which
Israel exerts control over Palestinian territory and governance, effectively
treating it as its own and creating an apartheid regime. During the current
genocide, Israeli political and military leaders have issued repeated statements
calling for the erasure and obliteration of Gaza (Amnesty International, 2024,
p203).A one-state solution that guarantees equal rights and protections for both
Palestinians and Israelis would provide a genuine pathway to justice and self-
determination — giving both peoples ownership over their shared future, which
they so deeply deserve. We recognise that this is a long-term solution. In the
meantime, we must implement short-term measures that move us closer to that
goal. As part of these interim steps, UNRWA must be reinstated with full access
and protection, and the immediate end to the blockade, displacement, and
indiscriminate attacks that characterise this ongoing genocide.

Final remarks

The Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) stands firmly against the ongoing
genocide in Palestine and the broader structures of settler colonialism and
imperialism that have enabled it. As young greens and anti-colonial activists,
we reject any narrative that frames this genocide as a symmetrical conflict. It
is not. It is the brutal oppression of a colonised people by a militarised and
internationally backed occupying power.

The actions of the Israeli government do not reflect the views of all Israeli
citizens, the Jewish faith, or the global Jewish community. Claiming otherwise
is antisemitic. Similarly, any attempt to downplay the horrors of the Holocaust
constitutes Holocaust denial, which is inherently antisemitic.

Islamist terrorist organisations — whose primary victims are often people in
Muslim-majority countries — do not represent Islam or the global Muslim
community. Equating Islam as a whole with these groups is Islamophobic and is
unequivocally condemned by FYEG.

FYEG is committed to combating antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of
racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination. We strongly denounce all attacks
on Jewish and Muslim communities and institutions, recognising that such acts
not only harm those directly targeted but also endanger our shared values,
democracy, and pluralistic societies.

While international and European law may define what is legal, legality does not
always equate to morality. History offers numerous examples of actions that were
once considered legal under prevailing legal frameworks — such as slavery and
apartheid — but which are now universally recognised as deeply unethical and
unjust. Laws and regulations are a reflection of their time, shaped by power
dynamics, political interests, and historical context, and as such, they are
often imbued with bias. It is therefore crucial for FYEG to critically assess
legal norms through the lens of our core beliefs and universal values of
justice, dignity, and human rights — not merely based on whether they have a
legal foundation.

This resolution is not only a response to the unbearable present — the mass
killings, the destruction of Gaza, the starvation of an entire population — but
also a call to reframe how we, as a political community, understand and act upon
the root causes of violence. We reject superficial solutions, including the
defunct two-state model, which merely reproduces the structures of apartheid and
dispossession under the guise of peace. Instead, we advocate for a secular,
unified one-state solution that ensures full equality, justice, and self-
determination for all people between the river and the sea.

The international community — and in particular the EU and its member states —
must move beyond symbolic gestures and take concrete action to end the genocide
and hold Israel accountable for its crimes. This includes ending all military,
financial, and diplomatic support to Israel, supporting international
investigations and sanctions, and immediately reinstating UNRWA with full access
and protection.

We reaffirm our commitment to anti-imperialist, de-colonial, and feminist values
in international politics. We express our solidarity all who have suffered in
Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and other sovereign nations affected by the
Israeli state — in support of their struggles for liberation, return, and
justice. Ending the genocide is not enough. The structures that enabled it must
be dismantled. We demand an end to occupation, apartheid, and impunity. Only
then can we begin to imagine a just and lasting peace.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. From the sea to the river
Palestine will live forever.

The Federation of Young European Greens calls upon the international community
to:

Furthermore, we call upon the European Green Party and other political parties
to:

Calls on the European Union to: (including member states)

Calls upon Israel:

Finally, we call upon the Palestinian leadership and resistance movements to: