Workers Solidarity Movement

In response to the Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF) latest assault on the people of Gaza, well over 150 people came out for a Gaza solidarity demo in Newbridge on Monday evening. This follows on from a previous well attended demo that took place in Naas on July 21st. Supporters and friends of Palestine rallied in front of Newbridge town hall and many Palestinian flags and banners expressing solidarity with Gaza were on display. The demo was well attended by political activists including members of Sinn Fein, Community Solidarity, Workers Solidarity Movement and many more campaigners and councillors.

Since the beginning of Israel’s latest military campaign against the captive population of Gaza, over 1,300 Palestinians have been killed and thousands wounded. Three civilians (including one Thai worker) have been killed inside Israel along with 53 Israeli soldiers. These figures will be out of date very quickly as the IDF continues to advance into Gaza behind heavy air and artillery bombardment. Gaza is home to over 1.7 million people who scrape a living while crammed into an area of 360 square kilometres which is often referred to as the world’s largest open air prison.

Israel’s present and historic use of indiscriminate weapons like white phosphorous, flechette tank shells, and artillery batteries guarantees massive civilian casualties. The use of previously unknown weapons like DIME bombs, which cause untreatable wounds, are also causing serious problems for medics who are attempting to care for the injured. To compound the effects of these heavy weapons, IDF troops equipped with the latest battlefield kit are known for unhesitant violence against innocent and even severely wounded Palestinians.

This massacre, entitled ‘Protective Edge’ by the perpetrators, is the latest in a string of such campaigns to push Palestinians off their land, create a hysterical climate of nationalism in Israel itself and of course to get the ‘battle tested’ bumper stickers for Israel’s latest military hardware. All of these crimes unsurprisingly are very beneficial for Israel’s ruling class who can be assured that the profits from arms sales abroad and votes for racist policies at home keep rolling in.

The only realistic way to force Israel to comply with international law and the basic moral standards of humanity is to hurt their ruling class economically. This means that we who support a just settlement for the Palestinian people must be part of a campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against companies that benefit from the continued oppression and exploitation of the Palestinian people.

Along with this boycott campaign we should do what we can to extend moral support to the many Israelis who publicly oppose the ongoing massacre of Palestinians, the siege of Gaza and the occupation as a whole. Under the very real threat of right-wing and ultra-nationalist violence they continue to take to the streets in opposition to the sadistic violence being carried out in their name. Considering a recent poll by the Jerusalem Post indicates that a huge majority of Israelis want to continue the attack on Gaza, those Israelis who act against this brutality would benefit from international solidarity, even as they try to express theirs with the Palestinians.