In statements made in Lisbon, Hagar Yulzari, a member of the organization “Israelites for International Pressure,” emphasized that the protest action in front of the German embassy aims to draw attention to the necessity for the war between Israel and the Palestinians to end through “a political agreement.”
“Germany and the European Union countries must impose sanctions against Israel. They need to uphold the moral values of Europe. The European Union must impose sanctions and suspend the association agreement with Israel, regardless of what [United States President Donald] Trump does or says,” Yulzari added.
“We have seen that the United States and Trump will not support attempts [to achieve a ceasefire] because they have an interest in the continuation of the war,” stated the Israeli activist, whose organization co-promoted the protest action with another movement, “Jews for Peace and Justice.”
Yulzari referred to Israel’s attack on Tuesday in Qatar, targeting the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas delegation during ceasefire negotiations, as “yet another” instance in the last two years, expressing doubt that the offensive in Doha would end the talks.
“It’s a tactic we’ve observed over the past two years, and whenever any agreement or political initiative seems close to being realized, Israel conducts a massive attack. These attacks aim to divert attention from the fact that nothing is meant to change,” the Israeli activist argued.
When asked about the feasibility of an intention expressed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “eliminate Hamas,” Yulzari replied that “it will be difficult” because this goal cannot be achieved through attacks, as there will always be another organization supporting the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement.
In this sense, the Israeli activist insisted on a political solution to end the conflict.
Regarding the protest being held in front of the German diplomatic mission in Lisbon, Yulzari argued that Germany is at the forefront of European countries and “must assume its historical responsibility against genocides and crimes against humanity,” referring further comments to the statement where the reasons for the demonstration were outlined.
“Words are not enough. Germany must apply harsh sanctions to stop the genocide. Germany trades 8 billion euros with Israel and is the second-largest arms supplier to the country [only behind the USA], making it the second-most influential country on Israeli policies,” the manifesto states.
“Historically, Germany has shown unwavering support for Israel, a stance shaped by the shared past between the two nations. However, given the realization that genocide is being perpetrated against the Palestinian people, it is imperative to abandon this position. Germany condemned the Palestinian civilian casualties and recently introduced a partial arms embargo destined for Gaza. Merely declarative measures are insufficient,” the document adds.
According to the two organizations, Germany “must exert all its power to stop the genocide.”
“It must withdraw the veto on the proposal to suspend the association agreement. It should not only reject the sale of arms that may be used in Gaza but suspend all arms trade with Israel until and unless the bombings cease, humanitarian aid enters effectively, and health and humanitarian organizations can return to the Gaza Strip. The genocide must end,” the statement concluded.
