The almighty ’’bastion of freedom of speech’’ has just exposed itself as not so free. Across the western world, students are demanding that their universities cut ties with Israeli institutions. The response from their government is that of mass arrests and police violence. In the USA over 1500 students have been arrested for protesting at university campuses. Right-wing politicians call for mass arrests and even (capitalist) social-democrats and greens use the power of the state to crush the brave students who stand up for Palestine.
Student protests at Dutch universities
Dutch students have joined their American comrades in starting massive protests at Dutch universities across the Netherlands. The response of the state is that of violence and mass arrests. While the right-wing media (De Telegraaf, PowNed, WNL) calls them ’’extremists and violent thugs’’, the reality remains that the Netherlands (like all EU nations) keep friendly relations with Israeli universities and institutions. Meanwhile the terrorist: State of Israel is ready to attack Rafah, the last free Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, which has not been attacked yet.
Western imperialism claims that Rafah is the red line Israel should not cross. But reality is that the terrorist regime is ready crossing the line, with no consequences. Western hypocrites like Joe Biden have said that Rafah is the red line and all military aid to Israel will stop, but it is unlikely that western imperialism suddenly has a change of heart. Dutch students understand the hypocrisy of the countries like the Netherlands. They are radicalised by the injustice and mass deaths caused by Israeli terrorism against Palestinian men, women and children.
GreenLeft mayor of Amsterdam in service of Israel
Femke Halsema is the mayor of Amsterdam from the GreenLeft party. She belongs to the right-wing of the liberal greens in the Netherlands. Halsema used to be party leader and moved GreenLeft away from its leftist green politics, towards accepting capitalism and western imperialism. Femke Halsema became mayor of the Dutch capital and has proven herself to be a supporter of the State of Israel. She ordered the police to crush the students, who had barracked themselves in the University of Amsterdam in protest of its friendly relations with Israeli institutions.
While the Dutch: Party of Labour is mostly pro-Israel, the GreenLeft remains divided. Its leaders are all pro-Israel, but a large percentage of its members is not. Many younger members reject the actions of the State of Israel and they have clashed with the party leadership, often getting their voices silenced in undemocratic moves to silence pro-Palestinian opinions.
A socialist alternative is the only solution
Many students favour the idea of one democratic secular country for Jews and Arabs. But the problem is that this is not possible. Even a unified socialist nation for both communities is an illusion, as Israeli workers do not feel any connection to ”Arabic” Palestine. On the other side, the Palestinians will not easily forgive the Israeli’s for the massive deaths, racism and oppression. This is why we say that Israel and Palestine must become socialist countries on the 1967 borders. Socialism will not end the hatred in one night but it can start a process of healing, if the economy is run for the majority and not a capitalist few!
When 23.000 civilians are killed as collective punishment, the western world thinks little of it. When 11.000 Ukrainian civilians are killed in two years of conflict, it is called (rightfully) cruel, evil and wrong. However the 23.000 people murdered by the State of Israel in less then three months, are regarded as less by the very governments who claim to stand for human rights and freedom. Western governments are very quick to denounce the crimes of their opponents like China and Russia, but they have remained silent on the massive genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Stripe.
What has happened?
The State of Israel launched an invasion of the Gaza Stripe to destroy the Islamic Resistance Movement – HAMAS. This is very ironic because Israel made HAMAS great in the 1990’s. They used the sectarian Islamists to divide the Palestinian resistance to the illegal occupation of the West-Bank and the Gaza Stripe. The Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) led by the Palestinian National Liberation Movement – FATAH, accepted the 1993 Oslo Accords and ended their armed resistance. Since Israel did not follow the Oslo Accords, HAMAS was able to portray itself as the only organisation willing to fight the occupiers.
Not only FATAH lost popular support. The secular leftists of Palestine also faded away as they were unable to provide a clear socialist alternative. Groups like the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine may rejected the Oslo Accords, but they were unable to take the lead in the struggle away from FATAH. Also leftists from the PFLP and DFLP never provided a socialist solution to the conflict. They remain stuck in the idea of a secular single democratic Palestine for Jews, Arabs and others. We know that under capitalism, no alternative is possible. Not a single state solution or a two state solution.
HAMAS won the first (and only) democratic elections in the Gaza Stipe in 2007. It resulted in the fact that both Israel and Egypt, choose to turn Gaza into an open air prison. The occupiers worked closely with the Mubarak regime (1980-2011) in Cairo. Egypt and Israel made sure that by closing the borders, Gaza became a prison for 2,3 million people. Just before the invasion, life was very difficult. 2/3 of all Gazan workers had no work and many suffered from the lack of basic products. To blame are Israel, but also Egypt who has worked with the Zionist regime since 1979.
7 October 2023
Israel calls the attack of HAMAS an act of terror. In their current propaganda the Israeli’s call HAMAS, a ”rapist-genocidal regime”. The attack on 7 October 2023 was however justified as the Gaza Stripe is a illegal open air prison. Illegal because Israel and Egypt had no right to close the borders, to force 2,3 million people to live on 365 km2. Revolutionary socialists say that the attack was justified when it assaulted military and police targets of the occupation forces, but the brutal killings of unarmed Israeli’s and the abduction of 1.000 civilians are counterproductive. HAMAS denied that they murdered civilians, but the death bodies in the own houses are enough proof.
The attack gave the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu exactly what he always wanted. Netanyahu had opposed the withdraw from the Gaza Stripe in 2005. He opposed the politics of Ariel Sharon who removed the illegal Zionists colonists from the stripe by force. Netanyahu already proofed himself as a killer by ordering massive bombing raids against the Gaza Stripe in the past. Thousands were murdered as Israel enforced the idea of collective punishment. Many Palestinians know that HAMAS is not working in their interests, however their is little they can do. HAMAS has turned the Gaza Stripe into a reactionary dictatorship. Secular groups like FATAH, the PFLP and DPLP face bureaucratic opposition.
Israeli invasion
On 27 October the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) invaded the Gaza Stripe. As of 9 January 2024, they control around 45% of the stripe. Most of Gaza City has been reduced to rubble and over 2.500 guerilla fighters from both HAMAS, the PFLP and other groups have been killed. Israel claims to have lost 170 soldiers with around 937 wounded. The fight is very unfair with the Palestinians armed with outdated Soviet weaponry, while Israel has an army that is paid for by the American taxpayer. Every year, the State of Israel is receiving billions in free U.S dollars to spend on their occupation forces.
Out of the 2,3 million Palestinians, 1,9 million were forced to flee their homes and move to the south of Gaza. However the IDF now claims that they are ready to attack the south too. They goal is the complete occupation of the Gaza Stripe as it was between 1967 and 2005. Some inside the far-right Israeli government wish to expel all Palestinians and turn Gaza into a Zionist controlled zone. At this moment over 2,3 million people are forced to live on less then 150 km2. After the resistance in the north is over, its is very possible that the occupiers will turn their eyes on the last free parts of Gaza. 23.000 have already been murdered by terror attacks and we know that Israel considers all Palestinians equal to ”terrorists”.
Western silence
When Russia bombed Ukraine, there was outrage in the western media of Europe and America. Russian imperialist aggression was rejected and many called for weapons to be given to Ukraine. After two years however it becomes clear that Ukraine cannot take back what it lost to Russia, even with western weapons. This show us that the whole idea that Ukraine can win with our guns is an illusion. Yet the Palestinians have never been given anything to defend themselves from the western world. Worse, they are left to suffer in silence as western governments defend the actions of the State of Israel.
It is only because of the USA that Benjamin Netanyahu can do what he does. Washington DC has always defended the actions of Israel and has paid for the death and destruction caused. Win-out the western subsidies and free money, the State of Israel would not be able to occupy the Gaza Stripe and the West-Bank. Billions are needed to keep the occupation going and we must not forget that Israel is a country of less then 20.000 km2, with a population of almost 10 million. Its army however has a budget of 24,3 billion U.S dollars. In 2023 the U.S taxpayer paid 14 billion out of that 24,3 billion IDF budget!
There is a good reason why the western world keeps silent on the crimes of Israel. They have created the State of Israel in 1948. Western countries wanted to turn British Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish state and a Arab state. However the Arab majority (58%) rejected the idea that they had to give up 50% of Palestine to a Jewish minority (33%). Zionist militia’s rose up and the first war between Arabs and Jews resulted in a victory for the Zionists. 19 Years after the founding of Israel, the Zionists decided to attack the Arabs again, this led to the occupation of the West-Bank, the Gaza Stripe and the Egyptian Sinai dessert. Despite UN resolutions, it was the western world (mainly the USA) that made sure that Israel could do what is has been doing since it was founded.
What is needed?
Revolutionary socialists call for socialism as the alternative. This means that we reject the Jewish State of Israel, but also the Arab State of Palestine. We reject the brutal far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu, while also rejecting the reactionary HAMAS regime and the corrupt collaborators of FATAH in the West-Bank. The Palestinians need to understand that they win nothing by supporting these groups, FATAH and HAMAS. The official Palestinian left-wing are also not the alternative, because the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is marginal and not seen by the masses as the organisation that can bring about liberation. The PFLP became a more middle class oriented group with little connection to workers and their struggles.
What is needed is socialism in both Israel and Palestine. With Palestine we mean the Gaza Stripe and the West-Bank of the Jordan river. Under socialism, Israel will ceased to be a state for Jews only. It will become a secular society with a socialist constitution for working class people. As of now, the State of Israel does not have a constitution to begin with. The Palestinian governments in Gaza and the West-Bank will have to be completely rebuild, with all corruption and reactionary elements from FATAH and HAMAS eliminated. We do not call for a single Palestine for Arabs and Jews, this is not possible after years of hatred, indoctrination, terror and death.
We do call for a socialist Israel and a socialist Palestine on the 1967 borders. A Socialist Republic of Israel will accept the injustice that was the first Nakba and the terror bombings of the past. At the same time the Socialist Republic of Palestine will have to accept that the terror attacks against civilians in the past have not helped Palestinian liberation. True liberation cannot be achieved by individual terrorism or guerilla struggle. Only the organised working class in a revolutionary party with a socialist program has the potential of ending the injustice of oppression.
For this, International Socialist Alternative says:
Stop the bombing of Gaza!
Stop the blockade, the siege, the colonies and the occupation
Against the interference of the major imperialist blocs
Stop criminalising anti-Zionism and resistance to Israel’s state terror
Workers’ unity against ”divide and rule” of Western governments and the extreme right
For protest demonstrations and strikes
For massive international mobilisation against war
For a massive plan of public investment in recovery and prosperity
For mass struggles of the workers, the poor and the young
For an independent socialist Palestine with its capital in East Jerusalem and a socialist transformation in Israel
Greta Thunberg was in Amsterdam to march for the climate. During the march, she also gave room to defend the Palestinian people from terror attacks by Israel. Supporters of the terror state are furious. Greta Thunberg is not allowed to speak for Palestine, she should only speak of the climate and ignore the massive human rights abuses by Israel, they say. Thunberg was also rejected by many capitalist green parties like the Alliance 90/The Greens, who are in the German government. Revolutionary socialists call for full solidarity with Thunberg, who is assaulted by the whole pro-Israeli capitalist establishment, because she stood up for the oppressed Palestinians.
The German; Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Antisemitism, has called Greta Thunberg hostile to Israel and an anti-Semite for using the slogan: From the River to the Sea. Revolutionary socialists understand that some Jews fear that such a slogan means that in a single Palestinian state, there would be no room for Jews. In reality, no left-winger who calls for a united Palestine will say that Jews would not be welcome. In fact many who call for a single state solution demand a secular Palestinian state for all religions, both Judaism, Islam, Christianity and none-religious people.
What the supporters of a single state solution do demand is an end to the State of Israel, an end to a state for Jews only! This is what Zionists and their allies call antisemitism, because Zionism is a Jewish nationalist ideology much like Arab nationalism. We just have to look at middle eastern nations and we see how cruel this Arab nationalism has been in the past. In many middle eastern nations, Arab nationalist governments enforced Arab ethnic nationalism and created states for Arabs only, forcing Jews and none-Arabs out.
Zionism in Israel is not about giving Jews a homeland. It is about making sure that Jews rule in all the lands they see as holy, like Judea and Samaria Area (occupied West-Bank of Palestine). This is why the State of Israel does not have a secular constitution. This is why most laws in Israel are based on Jewish religious laws and customs. Yes, Christians, Muslims and none-Jews are free to express themselves, but the laws of Israel are not made for them. The State of Israel is a Jewish state, meaning that its state is made for Jews and nobody else. We revolutionary socialists reject that as much as we reject Arab nationalism and any other ethnic nationalist state.
Greta Thunberg is right in saying that there cannot be climate justice under occupation. This infuriates the Zionist oppressors and their allies. Alliance 90/The Greens in Germany have called Thunberg out for her support of Palestine. Thunberg should know that the German greens are not her allies in the climate struggle. This capitalist party has been working against the interests of the German working class for many years. German greens are pro-capitalist and do not oppose the system that is causing climate change, which is capitalism.
That the State of Israel calls Greta Thunberg an anti-Semite is understandable. The terror state is calling anybody an anti-Semite, who stands up to their terrorist attacks on Gaza. Anybody who criticises the actions of the Israeli occupation army in Gaza is a hater of Jews. This is what the capitalist media also promotes. Those who side with the Palestinians are denounced as ”HAMAS supporters” or ”supporters of terrorism”. Thunberg is not the last in a long line of activists, who are denounced for standing up to the state-terrorism of Israel.
Revolutionary socialists do not support the single state solution. It seems idealistic to unite the two peoples in one state for all ethnicities. Reality is that years of hatred, mistrust and hostility mean that Israeli’s and Palestinians cannot live together in one state, even under socialism for now. This is why the Socialist Struggle Movement in Israel/Palestine (ISA) calls for two socialist states with the 1967 borders. Yes, this would mean that the country of Israel remains, but this Israel will not be the State of Israel for Jews only. It will be a Socialist Republic of Israel next to a Socialist Republic of Palestine, two socialist states build for workers from all ethnic backgrounds.
International Socialist Alternative (ISA) is one of the few international socialist groups that is calling for a socialist two state solution. Many left-wingers are part of the single state camp and are flying the Palestinian flag in support of this. Revolutionary socialists fear that this overuse of Palestinian symbols will alienate the Israeli working class, who are drilled with fear and indoctrination. They think that all Palestinians are anti-Semitic and wish to murder Jews. This is what the far-right in Israel has been saying since 1967. Every terror attack of Palestinians is translated as an anti-Semitic attack against Jews.
This is why we say that both working classes need to heal in two socialist states as part of a socialist federation of the middle east. For this to happen the Israeli working class will need to brake from their Zionist mentality. A socialist Israel will be a state for all workers, not just Jewish workers. At the same time, a socialist Palestine will have to accept those Jewish workers who wish to live in the West-Bank and the Gaza Stripe. Israeli capitalism is not working and poverty is a big problem. Also we must not forget that the State of Israel receive billions in subsidies and donations, mainly from the USA.
It would be better if youth like Greta Thunberg stand for a socialist Israel and a socialist Palestine. By only calling for a free Palestine, the Israeli media will brand them as opponents of Jews. Therefore International Socialist Alternative calls for a socialist two state solution. Only socialism can provide an end to this conflict. If the whole left-wing would call for socialism in the middle east, then it could send a clear signal to the Israeli’s and Palestinians, that their capitalist leaders are not the alternative. Because both the governments of Israel (Benjamin Netanyahu) and Palestine (HAMAS in Gaza and FATAH in the West-Bank) do not work in the interests of ordinary working people!
There is massive outrage and hatred towards the Israeli’s for their collective punishment of the Palestinians. Over 8.000 of them were murdered by the terror State of Israel since 7 October 2023. Never before have so many Palestinians been murdered in less then three weeks. However hatred towards all Israeli’s and Jewish people will only fuel the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu and the Islamic Resistance Movement – HAMAS, who are two sides of the same reactionary coin.
HAMAS is the informal name of the Islamic Resistance Movement. A founder was Ahmed Yassin, who was allowed by Israel to set up his organisation, to rival the secular: Palestinian National Liberation Organisation (FATAH). Israel gave Ahmed Yassin room in the occupied territories, which he used to weaken Yasser Arafat of FATAH. After 1993, HAMAS won more and more support for their opposition to the Oslo Accords. Israel hoped that HAMAS would weaken FATAH and keep the Palestinians resistance divided and weak. They were right on the secular resistance, which lost support due to their abandonment of armed resistance.
The State of Israel soon realised that despite the loss of support for FATAH, HAMAS was winning. Their terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians led to violent bombings and the eventual murder of Ahmed Yassin, who was killed by the Israeli Air Force after he left a mosque. The murder of Yassin gave HAMAS political legitimacy. They won the elections for the Palestinian parliament and by 2007, Palestine was split between a FATAH government on the West-Bank and a HAMAS government in the Gaza Stripe. Israel had abandoned the stripe, but turned it into an open air prison with help from Egypt, who opposed HAMAS for their Islamist ideology.
HAMAS and the State of Israel are part of the problem. The Islamic Resistance Movement is a reactionary group, who is using terrorist methods to claim legitimacy. Benjamin Netanyahu is doing the same thing. Both sides are enforcing collective punishment for each crimes. Netanyahu already murdered thousands of Palestinians, all in the name of fighting terrorism. HAMAS used the terror methods of Israel to launch terror attacks against Israeli civilians. This is the reason why on 7 October 2023, HAMAS fighters killed over 1.000 unarmed civilians. This circle of collective punishment is rejected by the Socialist Struggle Movement, the Israeli/Palestinian section of International Socialist Alternative (ISA).
The supporters of the Islamic Resistance Movement claim that they only carried out a military operation on 7 October. This maybe so, but that does not hide the reality that HAMAS fighters choose to murder unarmed civilians. Revolutionary socialists say this is because of collective punishment. Both HAMAS and Israel wish to punish the other side with brutal acts of terrorism against civilians. Western governments ignore this and only focus on the terror of HAMAS. Because of this the Palestinian camp refuses to condemn the terrorism of their own, because the western world ignores the terror of Israel.
Collective punishment is not new. Many national liberation movements in the past carried out acts of terrorism against civilians of the other side, in acts of collective punishment. The African National Congress also attacked white civilians in South Africa. French civilians were targeted by the Algerian national liberation movement. Western imperialism bombed Vietnam and Cambodia because of the Viet Cong. Revolutionary socialists therefore warn against the concept of collective punishment, which is very easy in war time. We point out that collective struggle of workers on both sides are needed in the struggle for a socialist Israel and an independent socialist Palestine, based on the 1967 borders.
This is why the Socialist Struggle Movement in Israel and Palestine is fighting for socialism. We know that a single Palestinian state under capitalism is not the solution, neither are two states under the current power structures. HAMAS and the Israeli government plays the role of dictatorial forces in suppressing workers’ strikes and women/LGBTQ rights. We should not confuse the Islamic Resistance Movement – HAMAS for the Palestinian masses. They are inherently an anti-worker organisation.
In the West-Bank, the Palestinian National Liberation Organisation – FATAH, has been a partner of the Israeli government since 1993. This is why many oppose FATAH for its systematic corruption. We know this because FATAH leaders are wealthy and belong to the capitalist class. HAMAS leaders are even worse. They do not live in the open air prison that is Gaza. They are living under the protection of the reactionary State of Qatar. This is why Palestinian workers need to brake with HAMAS and FATAH. They need a socialist alternative out of poverty, terror and oppression.
From Ukraine, to the Sahel and Nagorno-Karabakh, capitalism exposes itself as a system of ongoing misery, poverty and war. This is why socialism is our alternative. We do not support social-democracy or Stalinist top-down centralism. Stalinist leftists have very few supporters left due to their inability to provide a clear socialist solution. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine are still linked to the ineffective Palestinian Liberation Organisation, which is under control of FATAH.
International Socialist Alternative (ISA) is heavily involved in the protest around the globe against the on-going massacre in Gaza. As part of this struggle we launch a financial appeal of 2.500€ to support the Socialist Struggle Movement (SSM), ISA’s section in Israel-Palestine. They are campaigning on the ground against the slaughtering and bloodshed in Gaza and against the occupation and siege that led to these carnages.
All donations will directly help to build a strong movement of working and oppressed people against the far-right Netanyahu regime. Specifically to promote mobilization and organizations of much needed pickets, demonstrations and marches among both national communities.
On Saturday morning, members of the Islamic Resistance (HAMAS) in the Gaza Stripe launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the Israeli occupation forces. HAMAS breached the walls of the open air prison that is the Gaza Stripe. 15 years after the stripe was cut off, the prisoners rioted against their jailers. The far-right regime of Netanyahu says that the attack of HAMAS will result in massive revenge actions carried out by Israel against the Palestinians. Revolutionary socialists of the Socialist Struggle Movement (ISA in Israel Palestine) stands in solidarity with ordinary people, with the relatives of those killed and with the wounded from all communities, on both sides of the fence and with the abducted civilians.
The terror methods of the Islamic Resistance (HAMAS) are counterproductive and only will strengthen the brutal attacks of Israel against Gaza. Their Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was in fact a massive prison break and the abduction of the civilians, including children and elderly women, deserves condemnation. We remind HAMAS that these Israeli civilians are not the government nor the army. At the same time we say that the motivation of HAMAS supporters to attack Israel is justified, because Netanyahuis responsible for mass murder on a huge scale.
After breaking the fence, many Palestinians took the opportunity to leave their open prison for the first time since 2005. Many support the actions of HAMAS because they see in the Islamic Resistance a legitimate group, that fights against the illegal occupation of their country since 1988. HAMAS only won their support due to the betrayal of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (FATAH), which has collaborated with the Israeli regime since 1993. FATAH controls parts of the West-Bank and has more or less kept peace with the occupation forces.
The reaction of western imperialism is typical. Many European countries show solidarity with the State of Israel by flying their flag. In Germany, the Israeli flag was projected on the Brandenburg Gate. No Palestinian flag has ever been raised nor projected on a big European government building. This shows us the true meaning of western governments. They do not care about freedom or democracy. Their solidarity with a far-right government says enough. Revolutionary socialists do not support the Israeli flag nor the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Our solutions are socialist, meaning that we oppose both the reactionary HAMAS government in Gaza and the corrupt ineffective government of FATAH in the West-Bank. We stand against the criminal regime of Benjamin Netanyahu and his plans for etnic cleansing of Gaza. Because that is what the far-right leader might try in the coming days. Israeli troops might invade Gaza to fully destroy the Islamic Resistance. At this moment, Gaza is home to 2.375.259 million people. Israel would have to use its whole army to force the populations of Gaza to leave.
Yet the Israeli far-right is preparing for just that, another Nakba. At least one member of the Israeli parliament is calling for ethnic cleansing and mass expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Stripe. Meanwhile the methods of HAMAS are not promoting liberation from blockade and occupation. Their terror attacks and abduction of civilians will only be used by the Israeli government to attack Gaza and murder as many Palestinians as possible. This is why we reject the Islamic Resistance as ineffective and counterproductive to true liberation.
The Socialist Struggle Movement (ISA in Israel-Palestine) is calling for solidarity with the working class of Gaza. We say that only socialist methods can end this long conflict by ending the illegal blockade and occupation of Palestine. A true socialist alternative means that both Israeli and Palestinian working classes take power away from those who rule now. HAMAS/FATAH are in fact just as capitalistic as Benjamin Netanyahu is. FATAH leader Mahmoud Abbas is a millionaire, while poverty is huge among Palestinians. Netanyahu too is part of the millionaire club!
Life in the open air prison that is Gaza is a nightmare. Since 2005 over 60% of the Palestinian population suffers from food insecurity, without clean water, basic infrastructure and without freedom of movement. After leaving the Gaza Stripe, the Israeli government killed many Palestinian civilians under the pretence of fighting terrorism the last 15 years. This is why many celebrated the destruction of the Israeli fences set up to keep Gaza under lock. However every attack on Israel is met with a brutal counterattack on civilian infrastructure. This is why we say that unguided rockets and terror attacks do not serve the Palestinian working class.
What is needed is class struggle on both sides of the fence. Workers from Israel and Palestine need to move together against HAMAS/FATAH and Benjamin Netanyahu. They cannot trust western governments nor ineffective groups like the United Nations. Israeli workers are poisoned with far-right nationalism and many think that terror is justified in fighting terrorism. The Israeli media has been demonising Palestinians since 1967 as ”terrorists”. Whole generations are raised in Israel to see the Palestinians as brutal killers who need to be kept in line.
The Islamic Resistance know that it cannot win any conflict with Israel. But they still attack to hide their failures and their pro-capitalist program. HAMAS is not a legitimate government as there has not been a Palestinian general election since 2006. FATAH too does not want elections, because they know they would lose to HAMAS again. At the same time the Arab world had all but abandoned the Palestinians. Most Arab countries made peace with Israel even Saudi-Arabia was about to start diplomatic relations. This is why we say that there can be no trust in the Arab governments!
Israel is starting a mass mobilisation. Over 130.000 reservists are called to prepare. It is very possible that Netanyahu will use the attack of HAMAS to invade the Gaza Stripe. It is our job to oppose him and fight for a socialist alternative to this conflict. What’s needed is a struggle to stop the deterioration and to end the siege, occupation and poverty, as part of a struggle for a root solution to the endless rounds of conflict, within the framework of socialist change, on the basis of guaranteeing equal rights to existence, self-determination, dignity and well-being. This is what the Socialist Struggle Movement tries to do.
George W. Bush, the 75 year old war criminal misspoke. He wanted to attack Putin for his wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Ukraine. Instead the former invader of Iraq said: ”wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq” while meaning to say Ukraine. This show us that the former imperialist President of the United States of America knows very well that he committed a unjustified and brutal act against the Iraqi people. An act that resulted in the fact that the Republic of Iraq today has moved closer to Iran and away from the USA.
Many may have forgotten the Bush era. Between 2001 and 2009, George W. Bush ruled the White House. His administration launched the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq. Bush said that anybody who was not with him, stood against him. His imperialist plans failed as both the Kabul government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was never democratic nor popular and the Iraqi government was almost overrun by a fundamentalist terror group in 2014. Because Barack Obama carried out the same imperialist plans, the effects of George W. Bush are still visible today.
The American imperialists lied to the world in March 2003. They claimed that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was building weapons of mass destruction. Also they said he was working with Al-Qaida of Osama Bin Laden. In reality the regime of Saddam Hussein opposed Islamic fundamentalism. Hussein saw himself as divine and although flirting with Islamic symbolism after 1991, he kept his country mostly secular. After the terror attacks in New York, American imperialism decided to finish what the father of Bush in 1991 did not do, removing Saddam Hussein from power.
Removing the tyrant was easy. But what the imperialists did not understand was that Iraq is not a unified country. It was kept together by the dictatorship of the Ba’ath Party. Iraq is made up of three groups, the Sunni-Arabs, Shia-Arabs and the Kurds. Although the northern Kurdish region was more or less independent since the 1990’s, Sunni and Shia Muslims hated each other. Hussein was a Sunni and gave his group the political power while oppressing the Shia majority. After 2003, the Shia Muslims took power angering the Sunni minority.
The whole situation exploded in 2014 when a small Sunni terrorist group was able to capture 1/3 of Iraq. This Sunni group was known as Islamic State of Iraq led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. After capturing Mosul they declared an Islamic caliphate. This radical Islamic empire was supported by many fundamentalists who always dreamed of a theocracy. Over 50.000 foreigners joined the Islamic State between 2014 and 2017, only to see their empire collapse under the united efforts of working people, specially in Syria where the Syrian Democratic Forces destroyed IS forces.
Iraq defeated Islamic State, but it remains barley unified. The Kurds still want independence, although their capitalist government does not dare to leave Iraq. Sunni Iraqi’s still face discrimination while the Shia Iraqi’s have moved closer to Iran and its politics. George W. Bush created this mess when he invaded that country to steal its wealth. Because that was the real reason why the Americans moved in. They wanted Iraqi oil, it is no surprise that any government after 2003 choose to base its politics on the capitalist system and market forces.
Between 800.000 and 1,3 million Iraqi’s died between 2003 and 2011. For American taxpayers the War in Iraq cost around 1,9 trillion U.S dollars. This is because the American government took massive loans to pay for all soldiers and weapons to be send there. 4,507 American soldiers died, 17,690 Iraqi security forces were killed in the 12 years between the start and the final American soldier leaving Iraq in 2011. American imperialism returned to Iraq in 2014 to fight Islamic State and over 2.500 soldiers are still in the country. That war against IS led to the deaths of 69 U.S soldiers.
Vladimir Putin has carried out a brutal invasion of Ukraine. But American imperialism is very hypocritical in denouncing it. Imperialists like George W. Bush invaded countries to steal their wealth and install puppets of their own. The puppets of American imperialism are long gone, Iraq is now closer to Iran and the puppet regime in Kabul was overthrown by the Taliban in August 2021. Save and protected by the administration of Joe Biden, George W. Bush can speak and walk freely. But the working class of the world will never forget who:
Launched a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq in March 2003
The Russian ”Empire” is paying Syrian Arab men to fight against Ukraine. This is confirmed by recruitment agencies of the imperialists in the Syrian Arab Republic. Moscow wants foreign soldiers to fight their criminal war. Syrian men who go are paid around 7.000 US dollars for combat missions and 3.500 US dollars for work behind the front lines. With massive poverty inside the Syrian Arab Republic and a huge increase in prices for food, many men are joining up as cheap mercenaries. Not because they hate Ukraine, but because they need the money for their families.
”Czar” Vladimir Putin is the reason why the regime of Bashar Assad is still alive. Thanks to Russian troops and airpower, the Syrian Arab Republic was able to defeat the western backed rebels. Islamic fundamentalists of Islamic State were defeated, but NATO member Turkey invaded northern Syria and took 2/3 of all northern parts of the country. Bashar Assad relies on Russian support as Turkey is now a major occupation force in north Syria.
For many Syrian families, live is very hard since 2012. The Syrian Arab Republic was always a very unequal society with members of the dictatorial Syrian Arab Ba’ath Party getting privileges and extra’s. Syria is politically build up on the same level as a Stalinist state used to be. The National Progressive Front is the dominating political force controlled by the Ba’ath Party, other political parties are only allowed if they join the front and accept the rule of the Ba’ath Party and Bashar Assad.
The economy was privatized after Hafez Assad died in the year 2000. Bashar Assad abandoned the planned economy his father introduced with the full blessing of the western world. Neoliberalism led to massive growth and the rise of a capitalist class not seen since the 1970’s. Syria was praised by western imperialism for its deregulation and austerity. However inequality rose very hard and was a key reason why many turned on Assad in 2011.
Russian imperialism intervened in the Syrian civil war on 30 September 2015. Thanks to the Russians, the Syrian Arab Republic survived the rise and fall of Islamic State. Had Putin not send troops and planes, it is likely that Assad would not have remained in power. The invasion of north Syria by Turkish imperialism also led to more dependence on Russia as a NATO member is also playing the imperialist game. Now the Kremlin wants something in return, they want canon fodder for their stagnated war in Ukraine. Syrian men are requited to fight/work in occupied Ukraine.
For many the reasons to go are not political. Millions are living in poverty and 7.000 U.S dollars can feed a lot of mouths. The war in Ukraine also lead to a massive increase in prices for bread in the middle east, something that is essential for many working class Syrians. If the prices keep going up, it is possible that hunger will set in as basic food products like bread become too expensive. In desperation to feed their families, Syrian men will take up arms to fight for Vladimir Putin. We revolutionary socialists denounce the criminal Putin regime in using poverty in Syria to recruit poor men.
The imperialist crimes of both the USA and Russia we openly reject. We do not fall into the trap of campism and do not stand with Russian imperialism purely because they claim to be a ”victim of western aggression”. The aggressor in Ukraine is Russia, their soldiers are attacking and killing innocent civilians. It is reported that over 300 civilians were massacred by retreating imperialist Russian troops, in the Ukrainian town of Bucha north of Kyiv. These war crimes will expose the lies of the Kremlin.
Russian workers cannot be blind for the crimes committed by the Kremlin in their name. They need to rebel and overthrow Vladimir Putin and his conservative party. For that to work a workers party on a socialist program is essential. A revolutionary force that can mobilize and lead the proletariat. Putin fears this above anything in the world. If the Russian working class is mobilized, then nothing can stop them. The Russian dictatorship can commando over 1,014,000 armed men, however the army (like the Imperial Army of the Russian Empire) can collapse too by demoralization.
Revolutionary socialists believe that only the working class can end this conflict. For this is happen it will need a political force that dares to oppose capitalism and imperialism. The Russian Social-Democratic Workers Party (Bolsheviks) did that job in November 1917. Even a party that starts small can become massive, if it can win over the working class. The sectarian nature of the Stalinists in Russia are an obstacle, since the ”Communist” Party of the Russian Federation fully stands with Putin in attacking Ukraine. The far-right Liberal Democratic Party also promotes the line of the Kremlin.
In Syria, the working class will need to unite in a party that fights for a united socialist Syria. This means breaking from the lies of Bashar Assad and his dictatorial Ba’ath Party. As in Russia, the Syrian Stalinists support the ruling party and dictator, both Stalinist communist parties (Unified and Bakdash) are part of the National Progressive Front . This proofs to us the counter-revolutionary nature of modern day Stalinism. Campism is very strong among Stalinists and they side with any dictator who claims to be a ”opponent or victim” of western imperialism.
Syrian men are lured to Ukraine with peanuts. It is possible that at least 20.000 are willing to give their lives so their families have some money to buy food. But with prices for bread already rising, it will be very difficult for the poorest workers on this planet. Capitalism proofs its inability to feed humanity in times of crisis. This is why we need socialism, democratic control and nationalization of land, factories and other means of production. Revolutionary Socialist Media is committed to build such society by writing about it.
”Revolutionary socialists warned about this for years. How the rich and the capitalists of the world, evade taxes by playing on capitalist laws to hide their fortunes. Because our laws are created by those who serve capitalism, they benefit those with a lot of money. Not only the owners of our economy hide their money; politicians, celebrities and even a none-profit group have used foreign banks to evade taxes. Revolutionary Socialist Media is not surprised by the leaks called the Panama Papers. The capitalist system works in favour of the 1%”. That was the opening of the article: ”Panama Papers, we knew” written on 11 April 2016. Back then the Panama Papers exposed to the world how capitalists evade taxes to enrich themselves, now the Pandora Papers say the same but on a much larger scale.
The capitalist media will not cover this too broadly. Because just as in 2016, nothing has been done to stop rich people from using tax heavens. The capitalist system favours them and their eternal greed. At fault here are the governments of the world, who (as capitalism) favour the 1% or ruling class as we revolutionary socialists call them. New famous names on the list include the elitist king of Jordan, the right-wing war criminal Tony Blair, ”czar” Vladimir Putin (not surprised) and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who claims to be harsh on corruption.
It is estimated that 32 trillion U.S dollars have been hidden from being taxed. The Paradise Papers and Panama Papers told us years ago what revolutionary socialists have been saying for decades. Capitalists hate taxes and they use corruption and tax heavens to hide their millions from being taxed in their native countries. One big capitalist family named is the ruling Aliyev family of Azerbaijan. This family is the dynasty that governs the Republic of Azerbaijan since 1993. Ilham Aliyev is the current ”monarch” who inherited the presidency from his father, who was a KGB boss during the Soviet period.
Another more official monarchist family who made sure their money was not taxed is the Royal House of Jordan. King Abdullah II has embezzled over 95 million dollars and used that money to buy luxurious villa’s in Europe. Meanwhile working class Jordanians are suffering from poverty and low wages. 35% of all youth in the Kingdom of Jordan has no work. Meanwhile the king and his elitist family are enjoying privileges and massive wealth and yet they still hide money from their own tax collectors.
”Czar” Vladimir Putin is said to hide his money in the Principality of Monaco. His circle of rich cronies is doing the same thing. Rich Russians and the top of the Kremlin bureaucracy have always hide money outside the Russian Federation. The reasons are clear, they fear a potential revolution and expropriations as we saw in 1917. Russian capitalists know that they are hated and they rather have their millions stored in tax heavens far way, in case they need to escape the current ”Russian Empire” of Vladimir Putin.
The Paradise Papers, Panama Papers and now Pandora Papers show us why capitalism must be abolished. No government regulation can stop the ruling class from hiding their money outside the reach of the tax collector. This is why we call for the expropriation of all millionaires, billionaires and members of the ruling class. People like King Abdullah II, Tony Blair, Vladimir Putin and many others do not deserve to be millionaires/billionaires. It is the system that allows them to hide money away. Since all countries are capitalist we cannot trust them to collect taxes equally.
Moscow is already denying everything as they have done in the past. The Jordanian king is also denying any fault. This is typical behaviour of elitist people who see themselves above the common worker and their families. Using tax heavens and offshore companies to enrich themselves and their own. Not just dictator and authoritarian leaders have been exposed. Western leaders like Tony Blair have also been named. The former Labour leader and war criminal used an offshore company, to hide 364.000 British pounds that he had to pay in taxes.
What is next? Nothing will change if we allow the current leaders of the world to stay in power. We cannot trust leaders like Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping. All three are imperialist and serve their own needs. Neither the United States of America, the European Union, the Russian Federation or the People’s Republic of China are going to stop the massive tax evasion by their own capitalists and leaders. We need a political and economic revolution to end the private ownership over the means of production. Those who have been exposed need to be put on trial for tax evasion and should be fined heavily.
The Pandora Papers report that there are over 95.000 offshore companies in use to dump untaxed money. These companies are then used to buy luxurious products unavailable to common workers. It is worse enough that there are millionaires and billionaires, when billions of workers are living in poverty due to low incomes. The capitalist system need to be abolished and replaced by democratic socialism under control of working class people. For that to happen we need to organize and build up working class political parties that dare to be revolutionary socialist and anti-capitalist.
Revolutionary socialists demand:
Take the wealth off the super-rich
Reverse the cuts to HM Revenue and Customs. Close tax loopholes and enforce collection of avoided taxes. Increase taxes on the super-rich and big business
Nationalize the banks and the major corporations under democratic workers’ control and management – with compensation only on the basis of proven need
Through public ownership of the commanding heights of the economy, democratic socialist planning of industry and services can be introduced to meet the needs of the majority. You can’t control what you don’t own: only socialist nationalization can end the great tax robbery!
On 11 September 2021, twenty years have past since the terror attacks in New York and Washington DC. American imperialism used the attacks to start wars in the middle east and in Afghanistan. Now after 20 years we can conclude that the imperialist plans since 9/11 have all ended in major failures. Neither Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya or Syria have become save and free societies, thanks to the intervention of the Americans and their puppets. Iraq is more closer to Iran and Afghanistan is back under Taliban rule. Libya had to endure two civil wars and Syria is ripped apart. 4.507 American soldiers died in Iraq between 2003 and 2017, in Afghanistan 2.420 soldiers were killed. 46.319 Afghan civilians died and in Iraq over 200.000 lost their lives due to George W. Bush and Tony Blair!
In total, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001 costed around 412.000 deaths at a minimum. These people would have been alive had the USA not decided to attack Afghanistan and Iraq under George W. Bush. The Americans however wanted revenge for 9/11 and since Osama Bin Landen was in Afghanistan they blamed the Taliban. Many American soldiers were told that they were fighting in Afghanistan because of 9/11. Even the last soldiers of the USA in Afghanistan still believed that lie in 2021, that they fight because of the 11 September attacks in New York and Washington DC. The Pentagon drilled this lie into the minds of all American soldiers who were send to Afghanistan.
The Taliban had nothing to do with the attacks on 11 September 2001. They were willing to hand Bin Landen over if the Americans gave clear evidence, that he was the mastermind behind the attacks. In October 2001, there was no direct evidence to link Osama Bin Landen personally to the attacks. It was not until 2004, that he publicly said that he planned the operation on 9/11. Since the Americans in 2001 could not give the Taliban direct evidence, they denied the extradition of Osama Bin Laden. George W. Bush then decided to invade Afghanistan and to install a puppet government. That regime became the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, ruled over by the corrupt president’s Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani.
Al-Qaeda was hit hard after the removal of the Taliban, but they were never defeated. Although rivalled by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq since 2014, the group of Osama Bin Landen is not death. By the time the Americans assassinated Bin Landen in Pakistan, the leadership of al-Qaeda was already weakened. Today the group is led by Ayman al-Zawahiri, but most operations are carried out by local al-Qaeda groups with little input from their central command. It is possible that Zawahiri is protected by the Taliban or Pakistan. If he is hiding in Pakistan then it is clear that both Osama Bin Landen and Ayman al-Zawahiri have been in a country that claims to be a friend of American imperialism.
On 11 September 2001, over 2,977 victims and 19 al-Qaeda terrorists died. George W. Bush used to attacks to start his War on Terror, which was only an excuse to intervene in the Islamic world. The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the interventions in Libya and Syria, they did not serve the needs of the American working class nor the local populations. They served the needs of the capitalist class and the military industrial complex, which profited the most from all wars since 11 September 2001. In the end, American imperialism failed miserably. Afghanistan fell back into Taliban hands and the government of Iraq is much closer to Iran then the western world. Countries like Libya and Syria are destroyed by years of civil war.
NATO plays a huge role in destabilizing the middle east. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was one thing, but NATO also overthrew the Gaddafi regime and supported one Libyan government against another. In Syria, NATO member Turkey intervened by attacking the Autonomous Administration of North East Syria. Turkish imperialists occupy northern sections of Syria and use their puppets of the Syrian National Army to enforce its will on the Syrian people. All this is done under the eyes of NATO, which tolerates not only the occupation of lands that belong to the Autonomous Administration of North East Syria, but also the massive abuse of human rights inside NATO member Turkey against the Kurdish minority.
Most countries of the former Resolute Support Mission came from NATO. More then 1.000 none-American soldiers died to protect the corrupt Afghan government of Ashraf Ghani. After 20 years we can conclude that people like George W. Bush and Tony Blair are guilty of mass murder, imperialism, corruption and giving support to undemocratic regimes that only have a democratic façade. That is what the western world is guilty of, they already support 70% of all dictatorships on this planet. Their propaganda about democracy and human rights is a lie as western governments only care about one thing: Governments that support their capitalist world view. The USA and many of its allies do not care about democracy. They only care about serving the needs of that minority who get rich because of war!
American workers in New York and Washington DC will never forget the day when they were attacked. The reactionary terrorists of al-Qaeda choose to attack ordinary people for maximum terror. This is why extremists are the enemies of working class people. They can never see the whole picture and only think that by harming workers can they defeat/harm imperialism. Those 2.977 people working inside the Twin Towers and the Pentagon (or were flying for airliners) were not the owners nor controllers of American imperialism. Neither George W. Bush nor any major capitalist leader was harmed on that day.
On 11 September 2021, the USA remembers. At the same time it should also look back at leaders like George W. Bush and reject them for their crimes. Because let us not forget that 9/11 was the reason that over 400.000 people in Afghanistan and Iraq died. George W. Bush and Tony Blair and many minor leaders are responsible for that fact. In the Netherlands, Jan Peter Balkenende was the prime minister responsible for supporting Bush and Blair. His right-wing cabinet not only supported the invasion of Afghanistan but also the invasion of Iraq. Balkenende will go down in history as the Dutch prime minster that caused the death of 25 Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan!
What can we conclude? That western imperialism failed, Russian and Chinese imperialism now look to take what the western world lost. China and Russia are in secret happy with the fall of the pro-western: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. They know that Afghanistan has a lot of natural resources. Now that the American puppet regime has been replaced with Taliban rule in Kabul, China and Russia see new opportunities. We say that all problems of societies like Afghanistan and the Arab world cannot be solved on the basis of capitalism. This is what working class people need to understand. Socialism is the only alternative out of misery, poverty, extremism and capitalist exploitation.
After two weeks and one day, 248 Palestinians are death in Gaza. They are killed by bombs of the Israeli army which bombed the Gaza Strip. Around 60 children were among the death. On the Israeli side, 11 people died from rocket attacks. Benjamin Netanyahu can proudly add another 248 Palestinian lives to his record, in 2014 his regime slaughtered around 2.000 in the open air prison that is the Gaza Strip. HAMAS claims victory, but the Islamic Resistance won nothing. Their rockets are as always ineffective and drove many Israeli workers into the hands of the Netanyahu regime. HAMAS is deeply reactionary and uses antisemitism to rally Palestinians. This fuels the Zionist propaganda and fear among Israeli workers.
Revolutionary socialists do not support a full BDS movement, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. Although we do support certain types of boycotts we must also remember that the Israeli working class is a key player in ending the occupation. As long as the far-right Zionist government of Benjamin Netanyahu can play on a siege mentality, he will win support among Israeli workers who fear the anti-Semitism of HAMAS and the Islamic Jihad. The BDS campaign is portrayed by most Israeli mainstreams politicians (liberal, social-democratic and conservative) as anti-Semitic and a rejection of democratic debate.
We know this is a lie, but Israeli workers do see the anti-Jewish propaganda of HAMAS and other Arab nations. They know that many Arabs wish to see them gone. Islamists across the Arab world spread the poison of antisemitism and the far-right in Israel knows how to exploit that fear. With 1000 rockets fired from Gaza, Israeli workers are genuine afraid. This is why revolutionary socialists are not fully supportive of a full blanked BDS campaign against Israel. Because Palestinian workers need the Israeli working class for their liberation.
As International Socialist Alternative (ISA) explains:
Israeli Jewish workers genuinely fear for their own security and want to protect the state that was intended to be a safe haven for Jews. This, with the constant barrage of propaganda, unsurprisingly leads them to believe that advocates of the BDS campaign around the world don’t understand the situation in Israel. Also, many of the Israeli Jews who are most critical of their government’s brutality against the Palestinians, at the same time don’t see why Israeli workers should be punished for it by suffering the effects of boycotts.
The Palestinian working class cannot liberate itself. They are oppressed not just by the Israeli occupation force and Zionist colonialists. HAMAS (Islamic Resistance) and FATAH (Palestinian National Liberation Movement) also make sure that genuine liberation cannot happen. FATAH rules parts of the West-Bank unopposed and HAMAS will never let go of its total control over the Gaza Strip. This is why class struggle is needed from both people’s. Palestinian and Israeli workers need to unite to build a socialist alternative to Zionism, FATAH and HAMAS.
At the same time we do not say that all boycotts should be avoided.
We support selective boycotts like
The export to Israel of arms and equipment that could be used against the Palestinians.
Firms that profit from the occupation.
Goods produced by Zionist colonialists in the West-Bank.
Certain sporting and cultural events to gain publicity
The Ariel university in the occupied territories
Israeli ministers when they make overseas visits
Israeli workers can then be told that these boycotts are directed against the occupation, not them. When boycotts are enforced it is essential that Palestinian workers organisations are consulted. Because Israel has the means to punish the Palestinian Authorities on the West-Bank. Fully boycotting all things: Made in Israel, will drive most workers into the hands of far-right Zionists like Benjamin Netanyahu. This is why revolutionary socialists do not support a full BDS movement directed against all things Israeli.
BDS boycotts organized by the ruling class or reactionary Arab regimes must be given critical support only. Because they are not motivated by the interests of ordinary Palestinians. If the Islamic Resistance (HAMAS) cared about the needs of Palestinians it would not fire 1000 unguided missiles into Israel only to boost propaganda. If FATAH cared about the Palestinians they would not collaborate with Israel and postponing elections since 2006. It is up to both working classes to stand up against corruption, undemocratic governing, occupation, capitalism and injustice!
Revolutionary Socialist Media 