The mobilization, framed in a context of growing violence in the Middle East, included the participation of local activists and diplomatic representatives. Among them were Alejandra de Bittencourt, spokesperson for the Network, and Nadia Rasheed, ambassador of the State of Palestine in Uruguay.
De Bittencourt, in dialogue with Multimedio La R, denounced the continuous violence suffered by the Palestinian people, and questioned the position of the Uruguayan government regarding the conflict. «We are commemorating one year since this genocide began. But this last genocide began more than 76 years ago,” he stated. Likewise, he recalled the role of Uruguay in the partition of Palestine in 1947: “The Uruguayan vote was decisive in the partition of Palestine for the creation of the State of Israel.”
De Bittencourt’s criticism was not limited to the past, as he harshly pointed out Uruguay’s abstention in recent United Nations votes seeking a ceasefire and humanitarian aid access. «The Uruguayan position is a shame. Uruguay abstains when voting for a humanitarian ceasefire, the entry of aid. “Uruguay ignores the most basic things about human rights,” he said.
For her part, Nadia Rasheed, ambassador of the State of Palestine in Uruguay, offered a speech in which she thanked the solidarity of the Uruguayan people and denounced human rights violations by the Israeli government. “His firm support for the Palestinian people, his unconditional embrace of human rights, has left the oppressive State of Israel without masks,” said Rasheed, recalling that violence now also affects Lebanon.
In his message, Rasheed highlighted the devastating impact that the conflict has on Palestinian children. “We demand a just and absolute end to the calculated and systematic murder of children as the first objective,” he declared. Despite the violence, the ambassador reaffirmed the resistance of the Palestinian people: “Our heritage and our morality rise from the rubble. “They resist to survive and rebuild the earth, our home,” he concluded.
The march, which had thousands of participants, concluded with songs in solidarity with Palestine, including the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine to be liberated!”