October 7 marks one year since Israel’s escalation of attacks on Palestine, allegedly in response to an attack by Hamas. But this date represents only a small chapter in a much longer history. The October 7, 2023 attack on Israelis is being used to justify a brutal intensification of Israel’s more than 75-year occupation, which has always been about more than self-defense.
Israel continues to expand its control over Palestinian territories, displacing communities in an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing. The U.S. actively supports this by continuing to send military aid, totaling over $12 billion this year. Israel’s military strength is an extension of U.S. imperialism, aimed at increasing control over the region.
Now we are witnessing the expansion of this war into Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, with airstrikes launched in late September 2024. Israel has not only launched a ground invasion in Lebanon, but it has also struck over 50 hospitals and healthcare centers. As a result over one million Lebanese people have been displaced, with over 2,000 killed. With each new attack, the risk of a wider war grows.
And now Iran may be the next target of Israel’s attacks. Last week, Israel and U.S. forces intercepted 200 Iranian missiles after Iran targeted military sites in Israel, citing the attacks on Gaza and Lebanon and the assassinations of key Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Iran), Hamas (Gaza), and Hezbollah (Lebanon) leaders. Although the attack caused no casualties and was reported as “ineffective” by the Israeli military, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran “will pay a heavy price.”
As Israel threatens Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, the risk of an all-out regional war increases. The reality is becoming clearer: this isn’t about Israel defending its borders. It is about imperialist expansion, and the U.S. plays a central role in driving this aggression. The U.S. uses Israel as a military base to maintain control over the Middle East, with Israel’s military might acting to crush any resistance to its domination.
The U.S. is not only funding the genocide and larger war, but it is providing weapons, supplies, troops, and is now launching its own airstrikes in Yemen. Oil prices are spiking after Joe Biden implied that there may be an Israeli strike on Iranian oil facilities, with U.S. approval.
Both Democrats and Republicans may offer weak calls for peace, but Washington relies on Israel to secure its interests in the region, ensuring access to oil, control over trade routes, and keeping potential rivals like Iran in check.
We must stand with the Palestinian and Arab people in their resistance against occupation and ethnic cleansing. We reject the idea that this war is about “self-defense.” Instead, we call for an end to Israel’s aggression and the support by the United States.
We must refuse to be complicit in this imperialist war. We cannot allow the U.S. government to use Israel as a weapon of conquest in our name. It is time to unite in opposition, to organize in our workplaces and communities, and to join the global movement that stands with the Palestinian people.
As working people, we share a common enemy with the Palestinians – the system of capitalism that profits from our suffering. The same forces that send bombs to Israel are the ones that slash our wages, privatize our healthcare, and pollute our communities. The fight against U.S.-backed Israeli aggression is part of our fight for justice and dignity at home. We must stand firmly on the side of the oppressed, here and in the Middle East. Our future depends on it.
