Driving the news:
The Forum opened on Friday in Beirut, bringing together European activists supporting Palestine along with Lebanese politicians, academics, and representatives of resistance movements.
Why it matters:
The gathering highlights growing European solidarity with Palestine amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and the continued detention of resistance figures such as Lebanese activist Georges Abdallah, who has been imprisoned in France for decades.
The forum also reflects a strategic effort to transform symbolic solidarity into organized cooperation between European movements and the resistance front in Lebanon and Palestine.
State of play:
A UN-affiliated delegation of about 80 European activists — most of them from France — is attending the Beirut forum. Many have long campaigned for Georges Abdallah’s release and voiced steadfast support for Palestinian prisoners held by the Israeli regime.
What he's saying:
In a statement ahead of the meeting, Georges Abdallah said the forum’s goal is “to bring together the forces that fought for my freedom — most of them European movements and organizations leading the campaign for my release.”
He called on Lebanese parties and institutions to "evaluate the solidarity experience that contributed to my liberation efforts and draw lessons from it to serve the cause of Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners.”
Abdallah added that the event is “an opportunity to thank European solidarity forces who continued their struggle despite obstacles and to honor those who left during this long march.”
He emphasized that the aim is “to continue this path in the service of resistance and the freedom of prisoners.”
What's next:
During their stay in Lebanon, the French-led delegation will visit southern Beirut and South Lebanon to witness the aftermath of Israeli attacks, as well as Palestinian refugee camps to assess living conditions there.
The delegation also plans to meet leaders of the Islamic Resistance, representatives of Palestinian factions, and women’s organizations active in supporting the resistance.
Go deeper:
Georges Abdallah, a Lebanese communist and resistance fighter, has been imprisoned in France since 1984 despite completing his minimum sentence in 1999. His continued detention has drawn widespread condemnation across Europe and the Arab world, where he is regarded as a symbol of steadfastness and anti-colonial resistance.
Zohre Khazaee - seyed mohammad kazemi
