EH Bildu (Euskal Herria Bildu), a progressive Basque political party with representation in the European Parliament, has issued a statement demanding the immediate release of Khalida Jarrar. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network also expresses its solidarity with EH Bildu and the Basque people in their struggle to free hundreds of Basque political prisoners held by the Spanish state.
EH Bildu has repeatedly expressed its support for the Palestinian cause, and MEP Josu Juaristi (above, left, with Jarrar) attended Khalida Jarrar’s protest tent in 2014 during a delegation to Palestine, demanding the cancellation of the expulsion order against her.
EH Bildu’s statement calling for the immediate release of Khalida Jarrar (in Euskara):
In the early morning hours of Thursday, April 2, dozens of Israeli occupation soldiers raided the home of Palestinian parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar, kicking down the door, arresting her and holding her husband in a separate room. A leader in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Jarrar defeated an Israeli occupation attempt in September 2014 to expel her from Ramallah to Jericho for six months.
Khalida Jarrar is a long-time Palestinian political prisoners’ advocate, former executive director of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association and a member of its board; she chairs the Prisoners’ Committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council. She is also active in the Palestinian women’s movement, a feminist and prominent voice for the defence and expansion of women’s rights.
EH Bildu’s MEP Josu Juaristi, met Jarrar during a GUE-NGL visit to Palestine in September 2014, shortly before her victory over the occupation forces and showed his support. In EH Bildu’s opinion the attack on Khalida Jarrar is an attack on Palestinian parliamentary legitimacy and political expression. EH Bildu calls on the Israeli Government to immediately release Khalida Jarrar and calls on Basque and European institutions to contact Israeli authorities to cancel this order.
More about EH Bildu:
EH Bildu is a coalition of four pro-independence left Basque parties, Eusko Alkartasuna, Alternatiba, Aralar and Sortu. Originally founded as Bildu, we have obtained near 25% of the votes in every election since 2011 and became the 1st force in number of votes in the last European Parliament elections (May 2014).
Euskal Herria Bildu stands for three main issues, Social Justice, Right to Decide and Resolution and Peace for the Basque Country.
In the last European Parliament elections in May 2014, our candidate, Josu Juaristi, was elected as MEP as part of « the Peoples decide » coalition. He then became a member of the GUE-NGL group in the European Parliament. Given the links parties in the coalition have with the European Free Alliance, we also endorsed a collaboration protocol with their Group in the European Parliament.