Declaration on the 2024 Farkha Festival in Palestine

Hier findet ihr die Erklärung des Festival-Vorbereitungskomitees zum Farkha-Festival 2024

March 2024

Dear comrades, dear friends,

We should now be in the midst of preparations for the solidarity delegation to the Farkha Festival 2024. Every year we prepare this internationalist delegation to the West Bank in Palestine with great joy and a portion of courage. Our aim is to show the true face of the occupation, the apartheid regime and the oppression of the Palestinians, together with the hope for a free, climate-just and progressive Palestinian society. We want to affirm the right to a free Palestine and the end of the occupation through the international solidarity movement.

Unfortunately, due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the war against the Palestinian people, it is currently not possible to start planning for a Farkha Festival 2024 and an internationalist solidarity delegation. The ongoing belligerent measures of the Israeli occupation army in the West Bank in the form of road blockades, arrests, killings and other massive human rights violations pose too great a challenge for a „normal“ realization of the festival this year. We also cannot ignore the massive entry and exit restrictions that the Israeli occupation authorities have imposed throughout the country and especially in the West Bank since the beginning of the war. However, we are in the process of monitoring developments on the ground very closely and exploring the possibility of sending a small solidarity delegation to Palestine this summer (or later). Please look out for public announcements via the usual channels in the coming months

The Israeli occupation forces and radical settlers officially confiscated a large piece of land in the village of Farkha after the war began. This is exactly where the participants of last year’s festival protested against settlement construction and were confronted by soldiers and settlers. The festival participants made a clear statement against the occupation. The occupation forces have now blocked the villagers‘ access to the area and have begun building an official settlement road. We recommend the recently released Arte documentary about the current situation in the village.

We have observed the demonstrations and the solidarity and anti-war movement in various European countries and are particularly impressed by the active role of various former festival participants. International solidarity is and remains an important way to support the oppressed peoples of the world and in our common struggle against war, imperialism and capitalism.

We call on you all to never miss an opportunity to support the Palestinians in Gaza and the other occupied territories. Be it by organizing and actively participating in solidarity actions, demonstrations, rallies and acts of civil disobedience, or by speaking, writing and posting about the oppression by the Israeli occupying power, which is supported by many Western states through arms supplies and diplomatic and political support.

We are currently collecting donations to help comrades of the communist movement in Gaza to survive. If you would like to donate, please contact solidarity247@posteo.de and we will provide you with all the necessary information.

Stop the war on Gaza! Stop the supply of arms! United for a free Palestine and an end to the
Israeli occupation!

Farkha Festival Committee