Final Declaration of the International Youth Summit Against the Genocide in Palestine

As representatives of the anti-imperialist youth organisations taking part in the Online International Youth Summit for Palestine, we once again declare our unshakeable solidarity with the heroic struggle the Palestinian people are waging for independence.

Despite the announcement of a ceasefire, Zionist attacks continue without interruption. The occupying power has violated the agreement repeatedly, and dozens of Palestinians have been martyred since the date of signature. This so-called ceasefire has never genuinely been implemented by those who systematically trample on international law and the most basic principles of humanity.

This Summit is therefore of vital importance. Today the struggle is not only resistance against genocide; it has also become a global fight for justice and an international struggle to hold war criminals to account.

We defend an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital — its territory made whole, its borders determined by the Palestinian people and governed by Palestinians, fully sovereign over its historic borders, its lands, its continental shelf and its resources.

We therefore declare the following:

1. We condemn the genocide carried out by the Israeli Zionist regime with the full support of the United States and Western countries. More than 68,000 Palestinians have been martyred and the fate of more than 10,000 remains unknown. This barbarity will remain a wound in the conscience of humanity that will not close for generations. Youth, student and civil society organisations across the world must unite; Gaza must never be left alone, and this suffering must be turned into a global struggle for justice and for independence against imperialism.

2. We defend the right of nations to determine their own destiny on the basis of genuine national sovereignty. The legal form of this right is defined in the Charter of the United Nations. Sovereignty belongs to states that represent the common will of their peoples, and it must be protected against every form of imperialist aggression. But we do not accept the use of concepts such as “self-determination” by imperialist powers to legitimise artificial separatist projects. We likewise reject the imperialist ventures created through NATO’s expansion policies. The struggle of every nation defending its independence, its honour and its territorial integrity against imperialism is legitimate and must be supported. Youth movements, for their part, must strengthen international solidarity, common action and humanitarian work.

3. Within the broad front of nations resisting imperialism, the struggle of the Palestinian people holds a central and indisputable legitimacy. The right to resist arises not from any international institution but from the essence of national independence. US and Western imperialism criminalises legitimate resistance while whitewashing Israel’s brutality and genocide. We reject all imperialist attempts to disarm the Palestinian people or to liquidate or suppress their resistance. To support national defence against Zionist aggression is not only legitimate but a moral duty.

4. It is a fact that international law is often applied through double standards that protect imperialist states. Nevertheless, the International Court of Justice continues to provide a ground on which violations can be questioned within respect for the principle of sovereignty. We demand an international arms embargo on Israel, sanctions on all states and companies that arm it, and legal proceedings — including revocation of citizenship where necessary — against foreign nationals who take part in war crimes. Even so, real justice cannot be left to partial institutions. If the existing mechanisms fail in their duty, the anti-imperialist states and nations of the rising multipolar world must establish independent and sovereign international judicial platforms to secure a genuine reckoning.

5. The systematic destruction of schools and universities in Gaza is a deliberate attack aimed at Palestine’s future. We call on the world’s youth and student organisations to take an active part in rebuilding educational infrastructure and supporting Palestinian students. To this end:

• We will develop Educational Solidarity Programmes to encourage scholarships, online classes and academic exchange for displaced students.
• We will call on the United Nations and national governments to open emergency scholarship programmes.
• We will support digital education programmes for Gaza in cooperation with civil society organisations and technology partners.
• We will boycott universities and institutions involved in war crimes or in military cooperation with Israel.

6. The people of Gaza face an urgent and severe humanitarian and medical crisis. We demand the opening of humanitarian and medical corridors under UN supervision, the immediate lifting of the blockade, and full access to clean water, food, medicine and basic necessities. Towards these aims:

• We will encourage governments to send emergency medical teams and field hospitals.
• We will expand telemedicine, trauma support and mental health programmes in cooperation with medical institutions.
• We will argue in international forums that health workers and hospitals must be protected under the Geneva Conventions.
• We will call on youth organisations to build solidarity networks supporting medical and humanitarian relief work.

7. Reconstruction and survival in Gaza require organised and practical solidarity. We call on universities, trade unions and youth organisations to work with the competent institutions so that aid reaches its destination through transparent and lawful channels. We encourage regular solidarity campaigns and awareness activities on campuses and in communities, so that long-term support becomes sustainable.

8. Israel’s aggression is not confined to Palestine; the attacks on Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Qatar are part of the same imperialist chain and are carried out with the direct support of the United States and Britain. These attacks aim to destabilise the region, weaken independent states and inflame sectarian conflict. We stand in solidarity with all peoples resisting these attacks, and we firmly underline the legitimacy of their right to defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

9. We reaffirm the assessment set out in our 2021 Declaration: the imperialist project directed at West Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean rests on a three-legged strategy of attack and division.

The Zionist occupation of Palestine is the principal pillar of US-backed regional aggression. The plan pursued under the name of a so-called “Free Kurdistan” — in reality a “Second Israel” project — feeds separatist and extremist movements in order to divide Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq. In the Eastern Mediterranean, the military presence resting on US–NATO bases in Greece and Southern Cyprus aims to encircle the countries of West Asia and to bring the region’s sea lanes and energy routes under control. This triple line of attack is the principal threat to the sovereignty, security and development of the region.

The freedom of Palestine and the international recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are complementary struggles. The United States and Israel are trying to turn the Eastern Mediterranean, and the island of Cyprus in particular, into the centre of attacks on the states of the region; this directly targets Palestine as well. The existence of the TRNC is a critical point of resistance against this encirclement, and its international recognition is of strategic importance in defeating imperialist projects in the Eastern Mediterranean.

10. We demand the removal of all US, Israeli, British and NATO bases in West Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean. NATO’s expansion policies are part of US imperialism’s strategy of encircling independent states. The withdrawal of countries such as Turkey and Germany from NATO would seriously weaken this imperialist structure. We reject all US–Israeli-backed attempts to divide Syria and to deepen sectarian conflict.

11. We condemn the political, legal and media pressure applied in Western countries against journalists, students and workers who support Palestine. The youth of the world stand for the equality and independence of nations and for a just peace free of foreign intervention.

12. We repeat our determination to unite the struggles of oppressed nations. From Palestine to Turkey, from Lebanon to Venezuela; from West Asia to Africa, from Latin America to Europe and the United States, these struggles are one common front. To this end, regional WAYU committees will be established to coordinate work against sanctions and embargoes across West Asia, Africa and the Americas. A Global Palestine Youth Coalition will also be formed under the WAYU umbrella, bringing together student unions and youth organisations worldwide. This coalition will:

• organise global awareness and cultural solidarity campaigns,
• strengthen the unity of youth through joint education and volunteering programmes,
• maintain the demand for justice for Palestine upon institutions and governments.

13. The tasks of anti-imperialist youth:

• to strengthen coordination among anti-imperialist youth movements through WAYU,
• to establish permanent communication platforms for joint action and campaigns,
• to hold assessment and coordination meetings every two months,
• to develop cultural exchange programmes and youth delegations among member organisations,
• to publish monthly coordination bulletins on youth actions,
• to prepare an online platform for continuous campaign coordination for Palestine, together with an annual and monthly joint action plan.

14. This Summit has brought together the free and honourable youth of the world, from Asia to Africa and from Latin America to Europe, for humanity, for justice and for Palestine. The Summit stands not only for Gaza but for all oppressed peoples against imperialism, Zionism and their collaborators. Our common voice is this: we will continue the struggle for justice and human dignity.

15. The youth of the world are rising to defend humanity, independence and justice. We declare our solidarity with the Palestinian people and with all nations resisting imperialism. From Gaza to Caracas, from Algiers to Beijing, from Moscow to Ankara, our hearts beat to the same rhythm.

Long live international youth solidarity!

Long live the struggle for a free Palestine!