– by the Green Olive Collective – 9/1/2025

German officials informed our colleagues at Zochrot this week that their advocacy for the right of return is “unacceptable” and German government funded peacebuilding initiatives will no longer be able to support them.

In light of this we at the Green Olive Collective publicly affirm our support both for the Palestinian right of return and the incredible work of Zochrot. In a statement released earlier this year we expressed our belief that the “path to peace and justice requires acknowledging and addressing the right of return as an integral component of a lasting peace.”

The German government cannot meaningfully claim to support peace while disavowing the rights of Palestinian refugees and continuing to act as a major supplier of arms to Israel. You cannot take responsibility for historic violence by participating in violence today, for past massacres by participating in current ones, and past displacement by perpetuating displacement in the present.

As a collective of Jewish and Palestinian partners, and members of communities that have experienced ethnic cleansing, massacre, exile, state violence, and mass displacement, we are committed unequivocally to the rights of refugees and believe that a just peace and collective prosperity is only possible when we acknowledge and address the historical grievances that continue to drive ongoing violence.

We call on the German government to reverse its decision, support the rights of refugees, end arms shipments, and meaningfully take accountability for its role in past and present violence.