The ferocity of Israel’s war on the people of Palestine is increasing and turning vast areas of Gaza into rubble. In response, people around the world are mobilizing in response to this genocidal attack.
People have mobilized in the streets across the Middle East, Europe, South Asia, the U.S., and other parts of the world. The French and German governments declared demonstrations illegal, still thousands defied the bans.
The reality of the horrific situation in Palestine and the growing opposition to Israel’s war is impacting business as usual in the imperialist world. Some Arab
regimes, that were in the process of “normalizing” their relationships with Israel, have halted the process. Bolivia, Chile and Colombia have broken diplomatic relations with Israel. A majority of countries in the United Nations voted for a ceasefire. U.N. officials have spoken out as U.N. schools have been bombed. Hospitals and clinics are closed due to lack of supplies and destruction of infrastructure.
Earlier in the week, a top official of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights resigned because of the inadequate response of the U.N. He said,
“In Gaza, civilian homes, schools, churches, mosques, and medical institutions are wantonly attacked as thousands of civilians are massacred. In the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, homes are seized and reassigned based entirely on race, and violent settler pogroms are accompanied by Israeli military units. Across the land, apartheid rules.”
These are the responses of people who have been complicit in maintaining the imperialist domination of the world. They are reacting because we are. But we
cannot depend on them. Their opposition is a temporary one. The crisis in Palestine has existed for 75 years, ever since the state of Israel was founded. Since that time the U.S. has maintained and defended the Israeli state, providing it with close to $4 billion a year. Today, the vast majority of politicians, both Democrat and Republican continue to stand in support of Israel’s genocidal actions. We cannot allow them to conduct this massacre in our name.
This war, by one of the world’s most powerful armies, is supposedly a response to the attacks by Hamas on October 7, which killed 1400 Israeli civilians and soldiers and kidnapped 220 others. It’s a war on a people who have been trapped, for 17 years, in what the United Nations has called “the world’s largest open-air prison” which has now been transformed into a concentration camp.
Life is impossible for the 2.3 million people living in Gaza. An estimated 1.4 million of them have been internally displaced. In addition to the massive bombing attacks and ground invasion, Israel has cut off essential supplies. Normally food, water, medical supplies, fuel for generators and cooking are brought in by trucks from Egypt. Israel blocked the trucks for weeks, and only recently allowed a few dozens in each day. Normally 500 trucks came in daily. Israeli forces have cut Gaza City and the rest of the north off, so no aid can reach people there. Telephone and internet communication has been cut, isolating people and preventing news from getting out to the wider world.
Bombing raids are intensifying, as is the ground invasion, and Israel has expanded the war to the West Bank, where Hamas has little influence. More than 9000 people have been killed, close to 4000 of them are children. Thousands of people are missing — many buried in the rubble of their homes. And more than 25,000 people have been injured. About 45 percent of all housing units in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged.
We cannot allow this to continue! This is the time for action, to mobilize our forces. Millions of people are now aware of this tragedy but don’t know what to do. We must all be organizers. We can talk with our friends and family members, our co-workers and classmates, our neighbors. Wear a button that will start a discussion and post on social media. We can organize discussions to clarify the issues, put up posters and stickers, hold small rallies or vigils to put the issue in front of people, and build the large regional mobilizations. That’s what solidarity is.
