Sumud calls on Finland to condemn Israel’s invasion and occupation of Syria

While the future of Syria is uncertain, this week, we celebrate the joy our Syrian siblings are experiencing in the release of prisoners, the reunion of families, and the return of refugees to their homeland.

That said, on December 8, Israel invaded Syria in violation of international law. Israel has taken advantage of the collapse of Bashar Al-Assad’s government to bomb Syria hundreds of times and seize more land.

Israel’s actions are a continuation of decades of Israeli occupation and attacks on Syria. In 1967, Israel occupied the Golan Heights. It destroyed more than 200 Syrian villages there, leaving only five standing, replacing them with illegal settlements meant for Jews.

This is the same Zionist settler-colonial practice of ethnic cleansing that Israel has implemented in Palestine. Israeli settlers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have already said they want to expand the settlements further into Syria. 

The US has supported the Israeli invasion as “self-defence”, and the EU has stayed silent. This latest invasion is the result of decades of impunity granted to Israel.

Syrians, like Palestinians, Ukrainians and all other peoples, have the right to self-determination free from foreign occupation.

Sumud calls on the Finnish government to condemn in the clearest terms Israel’s invasion of Syria, demand an immediate withdrawal, and finally stop supporting the occupation. The first step is to end all arms trade with Israel.