By Marwan Emile Toubassi
Former Amabassador of Palestine to Greece
As long as the European Union is still moving towards the United States and following the pattern of its foreign policies on most world issues, including our Palestinian cause, the European Union cannot abandon remaining in the orbit of American foreign policies in light of the continued presence of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and NATO whose policies determine the United States As well as the presence of the ruling right-wing parties in the old continent.
Since the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the eastern socialist camp, the unipolar world order has stabilized through all forms of hegemony, led by the United States, which imposed its policies and positions on its allies, specifically on the countries of the European Union, which today suffer from mounting hysteria in the face of the new neoliberal crisis on the one hand, and the repercussions of the exit Britain from the Union on the other hand and the repercussions of NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine and the US-European-Atlantic sanctions on Russia as well as the threats against China from a third party, which is reflected on the peoples of Europe who are now paying a heavy price for that in terms of energy, collapsing economic conditions and the emergence of popular demonstrations As a result, European cities are against the policies and procedures of their governments that are controlled by right-wing or conservative center-right parties, regardless of the differences that have begun to emerge between a number of European Union countries, which threaten the continued existence of this economic-political framework.
In the midst of all these political and economic interferences and the international transformations taking place in the world towards waiting for the end of the unipolar system with the rise of new international players paving the way for a multi-international system, as well as the rise of the left forces in most of the elections of the Latin continent, the most important of which is Brazil.
However, with regard to the West and according to the results of elections that took place in many European Union countries, the most recent of which was the Greek parliamentary elections last week, which led to the advancement of the conservative right and the rise of a new populist right-wing party in it in front of the decline in the strength of the main left-wing opposition party in it and the limited size of other left-wing parties that could not As a whole, they should form a parliamentary majority at the time they were able to in previous years, knowing that the Greek voter will again go to new elections according to the constitution next month, June, to support a complex system as a result of the inability of any of the parties to form a government now.
In addition, the victory of the right in a number of European countries against the decline of the parties of the left in them
As a result of the repercussions of the crisis of its lack of unity on the basis of common denominators and the different interpretations of the intellectual identity of the European left and its role in the current stage, in addition to the pressures on the governments of the left-wing parties in Europe on the part of the United States and the European Bank, as well as the Israeli interventions, are some of the reasons that explain the victory of the right in Greece and other European countries. With the exception of a number of a few countries now, after the European left parties were advanced in many of them in the past years. These are developments that impede the possibility of curbing the expansion of the European right and open the way for the possibility of the extreme and populist right and neo-Nazi forces reaching power in those and other countries of Eastern Europe, and allow the continuation of the rule of the right-wing and center-right parties in them, which impedes the existence of clear and explicit anti-government policies. The Israeli occupation prevents the European Union from recognizing the State of Palestine, according to the recommendations of many of the parliaments of those countries, and keeps it a dead letter if the right-wing parties continue to rule there.
On the other hand, the continuation of this structural crisis of the European left in its various currents, as long as it does not unify its efforts, keeps those European countries revolving in the orbit of NATO policies led by the United States of America, which does not want Europe to depart from its political subordination to it, which is drawn by the ruling circles there, specifically the military industries in order to protect the policies and interests of American hegemony that still dominate many decision-making circles in Europe, especially the right-wing and those with savage neoliberal thought towards peoples’ social issues, freedoms and justice.
The question now is, how will this be reflected in the reality of solidarity with our Palestinian national cause at a time when the European right, in general, has historically stood by the side of Israeli policies since its colonial inception, despite the moderation of some of its personalities, and how can we confront that in order to strengthen solidarity with the European peoples and influence the policies of the European Union? Which was distinguished and represented recently in what Ursula van der Leyen said recently regarding her systematic defence of the occupying state on the anniversary of its alleged independence?
A few days ago, the right-wing parties in the Portuguese parliament did not hesitate to take a decision to support Israeli policies, in a precedent that is the first at the level of European parliaments. Ten European countries ruled by right-wing parties also withdrew from the Nakba commemoration ceremony held by the United Nations last week, as well as holding a party in Parliament. The Italian, in the presence of the Speaker of the Israeli Knesset and the Speaker of the Italian Parliament, who inaugurated a joint art exhibition under the title “75 years since the founding of Israel and on history and joint parliamentary democracy”, and a special ceremony was held in the Greek Ministry of Defence on this occasion in the presence of the Minister of the Army of the occupying state, in addition to preventing the holding of events commemorating the Nakba in Germany And other forms of rapprochement and joint cooperation in various fields, including military and security, between the countries of the Union and Israel, especially in the eastern Mediterranean, in addition to the energy and gas sector, and the establishment of alliances under the auspices of the United States.
This is in addition to the role of the right-wing parties in the European Parliament, which was characterized by double standards and political hypocrisy that serves the policies and positions of the occupying state and its absolute bias towards the sayings of “Israel’s democracy” and “equality of the victim with the executioner” and “Israel’s right to defend itself”…!
This is happening now under the control of right-wing parties, after most European parliaments between 2015 and 2018 had taken their decisions either unanimously, as was the case in Greece, or by majority in other European countries, including Britain, Portugal, Italy, and others, for example, by calling on their governments to recognize the State of Palestine, as Sweden did, which It is now ruled by the right, which expresses its intentions to back down to please Israel. This is in addition to the presence of the extreme right in some European countries such as Hungary and the Czech Republic, which prevent the issuance of any decision condemning the policies of the occupying power in the European Union and express their intention to move their embassies to Jerusalem from time to time.
This victory and the rise of the European right, with the exception of some cases of countries in which the poles of the left united, including the communists, socialists and greens under the name of the new left in France, for example, which formed an important bloc within its parliament.
The rise of the right will contribute to the preservation and exacerbation of the economic crisis and the state of economic austerity, in a way that has nothing to do with the real interests of the European peoples according to the economic and social policies of the European neoliberal right. The US policies in the Ukraine and its hostility against the East in general, and its steadfast support for the policies of the occupying power.
What the Israelis face, on the other hand, is a real challenge represented by the possible expansion of the left camp in Europe and the world, which is no less than the problem of anti-Semitism invented by the Zionist movement. The danger now is that all the positions of the European right in support of Israel can be officially adopted quietly and without reaction other than the challenges of the popular and friendly forces there.
The question remains, to what extent will we be ready for broader relations with those mass popular movements that are characterized by a progressive leftist spirit, as well as European solidarity movements and boycott movements, and support them as much as we can to enable them to be effective in hostile to the colonial occupation state and its racist face, and to contribute with them in creating a hostile international front? For apartheid and in order to suspend the membership of the occupying state in the United Nations, which requires us ourselves to renew our policies and positions on that matter to present Israel as a colonial apartheid state before the world, and ourselves as a national liberation movement in order to achieve our right to self-determination and national independence and with a bold and clear resistance speech that the world needs to keep hearing from us.
We also have to persevere and make breakthroughs with political courage, struggle against the most heinous occupation and racist movement, and confront the policy of the colonial occupation state and the Zionist vision of exploiting religious issues and issues back against them regarding alleged anti-Semitism.
We have to work in the official and popular European political forums and arenas and expand the base of friends without losing anyone, as well as look positively at the new economic and political blocs emerging in the world today away from the absolute American hegemony that they are still trying to impose and take us to the mirage of its square by managing the conflict without resolving it.
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