Solidarity with Palestine

The situation in Gaza, Palestine, in the current onslaught by Israeli forces, has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians, including mostly children and women. The Israeli forces have unleashed indiscriminate attacks on medical facilities, hospitals, civilians, and civilian infrastructure, including cutting off essential human supplies like food, water, medicines, fuel, etc. 

UCLG-MEWA is determined to advocate and support the rights of Palestinian people as part of its broader constituency in the Middle East and West Asia Region. 

As an International organization of local and regional governments (LRGs), UCLG-MEWA stands with the LRGs in Gaza and elsewhere in Palestine, which have been at the forefront in the face of this military offensive by Israel and are resolute in addressing the local needs. 

Historical Background

The current situation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, did not start after the unprecedented events of October 7, 2023. The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, in a statement while addressing the UN Security Council on October 24, 2023 said, 

“The Attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation.”

Please check these sources out to learn more about the origins and evolution of the Palestine issue: [1] [2

Abdullah Anati, Director of APLA, participated online in the UCLG World Council held in Konya on October 26-28 and informed the participants about the tragedy in Palestine: UCLG World Council’23

Attending the UCLG-MEWA Extraordinary General Assembly online, Yahya Sarraj reported on the latest situation in Gaza: UCLG-MEWA Extraordinary General Assembly’23

Speaking at the 5th UCLG Cultural Summit in Dublin, Ireland on 28 November – 1 December 2023, Issa Kassis, Mayor of Ramallah, discussed cultural resilience in the context of occupation: 5. UCLG Culture Summit

Abdullah Anati, Director of APLA, participated online in the UCLG-MEWA Retreat Istanbul’23 held on December 19-21 and spoke about Palestinian local governments: UCLG-MEWA Retreat Istanbul’23

UCLG-MEWA has adopted several declarations and calls on behalf of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

October 17, 2023: “Standing Together for Gaza: UCLG-MEWA’s Call sor Solidarity”

November 1, 2023: “UCLG-MEWA Statement on the Current Situation in Palestine”

November 22, 2023: “UCLG-MEWA General Assembly Gaza Statement”

October 11, 2023: Rafah Municipality Statement

October 15, 2023: Union of Gaza Strip Municipalities Statement

October 16, 2023: Al-Khalil Municipality Statement

October 24, 2023: Ramallah Municipality Statement

November 2, 2023: Update on the Ongoing Israeli Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine, Ramallah Municipality

November 6, 2023: Gaza’s 30 Days of Heartbreak: A War’s Tragic Toll on Lives and Dreams, APLA

November 9, 2023: Israeli Aggression’s Toll on Palestinian Local Authorities, APLA

November 16, 2023: Do you Still Believe in the Human Rights?, APLA

November 29, 2023: International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and Urgent Call for Action, Ramallah Municipality

December 10, 2023: APLAs letter to our Partners on the International Human Rights Day, APLA

December 21, 2023: Christmas Message, APLA

December 23, 2023: Christmas Message of Unity, Hope and Global Solidarity, Ramallah Municipality

December 27, 2023: Palestine Exits 2023 as the Deadliest Year in Recent History, APLA

February 20, 2024: Gaza: Social Justice Under Siege, APLA

March 21, 2024: Sorrowful reminder on International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination, APLA

April 17, 2024: Palestinian Prisoners Day and Inhumane Treatment, APLA

May 15, 2024: The Nakba of Palestine: From 1948 and Deepening Ever Since, APLA

May 15, 2024: 76 Years of Nakba – May 15th 1948-May 15th 2024, Ramallah Municipality

June 12, 2024: Palestine’s Plight on World Day Against Child Labour, APLA

August 28, 2024: Israel and on Member States stop attacks by the Israeli Security Forces, settler violence and forcible transfer of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, UN Human Rights Office

September 21, 2024: International Day of Peace: The Illusion of Peace for Palestine, APLA

Call on People of the free world to urgently protect the Palestinian people against genocide, APLA

Urgent needs for the Municipality of Gaza in the wake of the Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip, the Municipality of Gaza