French protesters urge Paris to recognize Palestinian state
Hundreds of French people have held a rally in support of the Palestinian nation, calling on the government to recognize Palestine as an independent state.
Holding Palestinian flags and chanting slogans, such as “We are all Palestinians,” “Free, Free Palestine” and “Boycott Israel,” the protesters marched to the Place de la République Square in the capital, Paris, on Saturday.
The demonstration dubbed “Time has come, it is now” was called by a group of pro-Palestine associations and non-governmental organizations.
Association France-Palestine Solidarité, one of the event’s organizers, said in a statement that young Palestinians are losing their lives every day, adding, “We cannot let this aggression continue against the right of Palestinians to exist on their own land.”
“France must firmly condemn Israel... require immediate sanctions against it. France has to assume its responsibilities and recognize the state of Palestine,” the statement added.
In December 2014, both the French Assembly and Senate adopted resolutions urging Paris to recognize Palestine’s statehood.
Saturday’s pro-Palestine march came amid ongoing clashes between Palestinians and Israeli military troops in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The scuffles were triggered by Tel Aviv’s imposition on August 26 of sweeping restrictions on entries into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds and Israeli settlers’ repeated storming of the mosque, which is Islam’s third holiest site.
Late in September, the flag of Palestine was raised at the United Nations headquarters alongside the national flags of the world body’s 193 member states after an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly members voted in favor of the move.
Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds and the Gaza Strip, and are demanding that Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian lands. The Tel Aviv regime, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of al-Quds.
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