People around the world have been demonstrating and campaigning in all sorts of ways to stop the genocide in occupied Palestine by the imperialist-created ‘Israel’. The International Court of Justice says Israel is carrying out a genocide and needs to stop; the United Nations and its various agencies have passed numerous resolutions and issued statements to stop the genocide. Many countries of the South have said the same. But the voices of the millions on the streets and of progressive governments have all been ignored by ‘Israel’ which is an occupying force in Palestine. Over 30,000 people have been massacred, the majority women and children a means of killing off the next generation of Palestinians. Doctors, nurses, and journalists are among the murdered. The horror of this is perhaps captured below in an item circulating on social media showing one of the cruelest ways that ‘Israel’ achieves its goal of gobbling up the entirety of Palestine, a process which began in 1948:
Watch the news: Palestinians get phone calls in the mornings that aid will be available in such and such place in north Gaza so people go there and there is no food but only tanks which fire at them when they arrive there. Instead of aid, they come back with martyrs! And all aid agencies said they never rang anyone because they don’t yet have any aid so for two days there have been phoney mobile calls and the starving Palestinians go and get killed by the tanks!
Note the gleeful mockery and the sarcastic appropriation of the term “martyr”. Reflecting on Europe and America’s dark imperial past, one might ask how atrocities such as slavery were committed and tolerated. The same question can and is asked about the imperialist project’s elimination of local populations in the USA, Canada, and Australia; and the millions of Africans massacred by European colonialism. All these, strategically executed genocides and carefully planned oppression, so that the ‘victors’ can steal land and resources while turning those who remain into slaves of capitalism and imperialism.
What is to be done?
Votes cast at the United Nations for the ceasing of occupation and genocide go unheeded; progressive people and governments around the world are powerless to confront the oppressive policies of USA imperialism. The people have power, it is said. But where is it? And how can it be used?
There are two aspects of resistance to imperialism: political and economic. Both can and must be used to stop ‘Israeli’ genocide and restore Palestine to it historical borders. The struggle against the occupiers of Palestine and imperialism, in general, are linked and need to be confronted at both these levels. The political aspect was mentioned by Durrani (2023):
If the working people of the world want to re-establish democracy in their own countries, their first step should be to liberate the control of their leaders from the deadly clasp of the Israeli lobby. There is no real democracy when Western politicians are directly or indirectly forced to support Israeli aggression of Palestinians. There is no democracy when Western leaders ignore the wishes of millions of its own people, the decisions of the United Nations and international bodies in order to follow the dictates of the Zionist lobby. It is in that sense that the Palestinian struggle is the struggle of working people everywhere. People everywhere need to liberate themselves from the Zionist control by supporting the struggle for liberation of the people of Palestine. The two struggles — that of the people of capitalist world and that of the people of Palestine —are linked but the links are hidden by the ruling class, their media with the support of ‘Israel’.
To support the people of Palestine, people in capitalist countries need to free themselves from the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie that has taken over their countries. This process is not an easy one, as shown, for example, in Britain where the so-called Labour Party has signed up the the policies of the Conservative ruling party, not only in supporting ‘Israel’ in its occupation and genocide, but also in its capitalist policies. However, progressive peoples’ support, which has largely been ignored or suppressed in their own countries, of the Palestinian resistance has exposed the true nature of their imperialist leaders and governments and made it clear that the two struggles – against imperialism and Israeli occupation – are indeed linked. In fact, Palestine’s occupation is only one instance of the global imperialist project. Awareness of this has inspired calls from various Left groups in Europe to find alternatives to the system that has kept pro-capitalists in power for decades. In Britain, the treatment of the popular Corbyn leadership by the establishment Labour Party has led many to look for ways to ensure the presence of the working-class on the political scene. This is shown in Britain by Andrew Feinstein who is setting up a new movement, Collective. Feinstein (2024) says:
But this election must do more than just provide an alternative to the pro-genocide, pro-austerity Sunak-Starmer circus. It must also mark the beginnings of a new mass movement of working people that can challenge the Westminster bubble once and for all.
Fitzpatrick (2024) shows the reasoning behind this initiative:
Our political system – and now the Labour Party itself – is fundamentally anti-democratic and rigged against new parties, especially on the left.
The only way to address this is to build a mass movement outside of the Labour Party as a foundation for a new political party that is truly free of vested interests and which can offer a real alternative to the pro-austerity and pro-war two party system.
All around the country, independent candidates have and are coming forward to fight this election on a common platform calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, a real pay rise and decent housing for all, higher taxes for the rich, an end to privatisation of the NHS, and an end to unnecessary and unjust war.
A significant development in challenging the bourgeoise establishment that runs Britain with its Conservative and Labour Party sharing their pro-Israel policies, was the election of George Galloway as an MP in Rochdale in March 2024. His victory represents the victory of those calling for an end to occupation and genocide in Palestine. It has the potential of a major shift in British politics which has seen the main Parties ignoring people’s demand for an end to the genocide and occupation of Palestine. Galloway showed the link between the campaign to end ‘Israeli’ occupation and genocide of Palestine with anti-capitalist sentiments among people:
After the elections, Galloway said: “Keir Starmer [Leader of the Labour Party] , this for Gaza. Your abandonment of traditional Labour values, your embrace of neoliberal economics and imperialist politics abroad is going to be the death of your party and it richly deserves it. [quoted by Kelly, K. (2024).
Meanwhile, the campaign against the occupation of Palestine in Kenya also shows a coming together of various Left and progressive forces opposed to the total capitulation of the Kenya Government to Western, imperialist interests. In a statement, the Article One Movement says:
The coming together today of the Article One Movement takes place on Kimathi Day as we remember our Shujaa and follow his example of active resistance to oppression and exploitation. But this is not a one-off celebration. It is the beginning of a new chapter in the struggle of the people of Kenya. All the members of the Movement stand united in their commitment to end the rule of injustice. We shall continue our struggle until we achieve victory. Today is the beginning of a people’s united movement for justice and equality which can only be realised once people power is in command. This we pledge to struggle for. Until Victory. Today is the beginning of this new phase of people’s resistance. We will carry on this campaign throughout the year as we mark the achievements and sacrifices of those who gave their lives for our freedom: Pio Gama Pinto, Makhan Singh, Bildad Kaggia and many others. Today is the Day. Paths are made by walking. We chart a new path today. (Mutunga, 2024)
Among the demands of those launching the Movement is an end to genocide in Palestine and the occupation of Palestine, policies opposed by the Ruto government which has increased support for ‘Israel’ under US ‘guidance’.
Such developments, in UK and Kenya, are the foundation which new political forces are coming together to challenge the capitalist status quo.
Thus the support by progressive people for Palestine in capitalist countries has led to moves to liberate themselves from their own governments as a way of addressing their own exploitation as well as supporting Palestine. Thus the struggle for Palestine’s liberation from her occupiers has revived the long struggle for liberation from bourgeois dictatorship around the world. This is the political way to support the Palestinian struggle, end occupation and stop genocide.
But the political struggle on its own can take a long time to show results. Palestine does not have time. The political struggle has to be backed by an equally powerful and global economic struggle. Let us remember that during Kenya’s war of independence, Mau Mau did not use just a military weapon against colonialism. They backed this up with media and cultural struggles, together with an economic one. The bus and beer boycotts were used to hit colonialism where it hurt the most, the economy. To this trade unions added the withdrawal of labour from industries and services as a way of supporting the twin struggles, workers rights and political struggles. Such a multi-faceted effort is needed now on a global scale to bring about a new world order; the only way to end genocide in Palestine and end its occupation.
A way ahead is gradually beginning to emerge. Boycotting imperialist companies that support Zionist genocides is one way. This can also lead to the creation of new industries run by cooperatives and people opposed to genocide. An example is the Palestine Cola.
Some examples of recent resistance show the way forward. The closing down of companies supplying arms to ‘Israel’ through the action of activists is one example. Another one is the ‘Real Muslim Boycott’. The pictures below show the empty seats at the Kuala Lumpur KFC restaurant.
The struggle to end the current genocide in occupied Palestine can be a long and hard one. The resistance of Zionism and imperialist takeover of Palestine and the massacre of its people has also been long. No imperialist power will support its liberation, nor condemn ‘Israel’ for its genocides. On the contrary, they actively support the genocides by supplying arms and finances to ‘Israel’. It is only people’s war against imperialism in individual countries and with global unity of working people can end this system of killing people to capture land and resources. The signs of such a change are evident with the shifting of economic and political power from the imperialist West to the Global South, with the growth of BRICS. It now needs a major push from working people in all countries to end the imperialist rule in their own countries and suppress the occupation of Palestine.
References
Durrani, Shiraz (2023): The Struggle for Palestine is the Struggle of Working People Worldwide. Countercurrents.org. Available at: https://countercurrents.org/2023/10/the-struggle-for-palestine-is-the-struggle-of-working-people-worldwide/. [Accessed: 03-03-2024].
Feinstein, Andrew (2024): Quoted in Canary. Available at: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2024/03/01/collective-andrew-feinstein/. [Accessed: 03-03-2024].
Fitzpatrick, Pamela. Quoted in Canary. Available at: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2024/03/01/collective-andrew-feinstein/. [Accessed: 03-03-2024].
Kelly, Kieran (2024): George Galloway has issued a warning shot to Sir Keir Starmer after he stormed to victory in yesterday’s by-election in Rochdale. LBC. Available at: https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/george-galloway-warning-keir-starmer-after-byelection-victory/. [Accessed: 07-03-2024].
Mutunga, Willy (2024): Article One Movement: Kenyans Uniting for Land, Freedom, and Justice. Available at: https://www.theelephant.info/opinion/2024/03/06/article-one-movement-kenyans-uniting-for-land-freedom-and-justice/. [Accessed: 07-03-2024].
Shiraz Durrani is a Kenyan political exile living in London. He has worked at the University of Nairobi as well as at a number of public libraries in Britain. He then lectured at the London Metropolitan University. Shiraz has written many books and articles on aspects of Kenyan history and on politics of information in the context of colonialism, capitalism and imperialism. Some of his articles are available at https://independent.academia.edu/DurraniShiraz and books at: https://www.africanbookscollective.com/search-results?form.keywords=shiraz+durrani. His articles on countercurrent are available at: https://countercurrents.org/author/shiraz-durrani/
