By – Isai Priya and Senan
To see the horrendous massacre that has taken place in Palestine is both heart-breaking and sickening. The Israeli state has been allowed to carry through this horror right in front of our eyes with support from western governments.
Their hypocrisy, as people like Tory prime minister David Cameron stand in so-called remembrance of those who lost their lives in World War One, makes us especially angry. In reality it is Britain, the US and other capitalist governments and war mongering leaders who are responsible for the carnage 100 years ago and are still responsible for today’s wars and seemingly never-ending conflicts – be it in Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine or Sri Lanka.
We feel sick to our stomachs when we see the world leaders emotionally “remembering the dead” at the same time supporting or keeping quiet on the atrocity that is taking place in Gaza.
David Cameron and Barack Obama openly affirmed their support for the Israeli state. We, in contrast, stand for the right of the people to defend themselves, including with armed defence.
We are also once again reminded of the truth about the media. Big business-owned media and the BBC in Britain, which remains state-financed, continue to defend the Israeli state and are completely biased against us – the ordinary people. They try to disguise their dirty reporting with arguments about ‘neutrality’. Neutrality should mean opposing the destruction of life. But those who talk about neutrality are defending the status quo, the ongoing horror.
We stand with people of Gaza unreservedly – our solidarity is with them. We will protest in every way we can against the slaughter that is taking place in Gaza. We cannot trust the media that serves the Israeli state’s interests – our voices will rise up against the hypocritical leaders of western world.
The killing of people in Gaza must stop immediately. The oppressed masses in Gaza have a right to defend themselves against the onslaught unleashed on them. Tamils living across the world know too well the pain of feeling helpless in the face of relentless slaughter done by the gangs of militarily powerful states.
The Israeli state supported the genocidal Rajapaksa regime while it mercilessly massacred Tamils. This genocidal slaughter was ‘allowed’ to happen in the name of fighting ‘terrorism’. Claims of threatened ‘terrorist attacks’ are used by Israel to launch barbaric onslaughts on the Palestinian masses. In opposition we join our voices with the Palestinian masses against the state terror of Israel, backed by the US and the west. All the oppressed masses across the world must unite in action. We must link our voices together – and build solidarity to strengthen our struggle together.
In this respect it is with pride that we welcome the anti-war marches and opposition to the Israeli state that has been bravely expressed within Israel, however small it may be. The Israeli state rallies support among the Israeli population through lies and hate propaganda while carrying out attacks on living conditions of the poor masses.
The living conditions of the working people of Israel are falling, while more and more is spent on defence and arms. Workers and young people are forced to live under a constant security threat and in deteriorating living conditions. In that sense they also suffer, although not to the same extent, at the hands of the Israeli state, a capitalist state.
Granting the rights of Palestinians is linked to achieving lasting peace in that area. Similarly it is in the interest of Palestinians and rest of the protesting activists across the world that we build a united opposition against the state terror. But this unity must include the vital part – the very forces that can seriously bring down Israeli state – the protesting working people of Israel. And it will be in the Israeli working class’s interests to rise up against their state.
There is no magic formula to achieving peace in the Middle East. The Israeli state is protected by western capitalist governments in order to maintain their own interests in the region – particularly to secure access to – oil. At the same time people will fight to the death protecting their culture, land and freedom. Unless the people of the Middle East begin to control their own resources themselves, and build a plan to utilise it for all, the conflict will never cease.
These pro-big business, anti-worker and anti-poor states are willing to carry out any amount of violence against humanity for the benefit of the tiny elite they represent. They should not be allowed to have any control of any resources in the region. It is the working people living in these lands should control it, and a plan should be developed for all to share it. This of course had to be on the basis of granting all rights, including national rights of the Palestinians, Israelis and every other nationalities and minorities.
The Tamil-speaking masses in Sri Lanka have in the past taken inspirations from the struggle of the Palestinian masses. The mass liberation struggle in Palestine was an impetus to building the struggle among Tamils.
Tamils, like the Palestinians, want to control their own fate. That means – not just choosing which pro-war party governs us and what border we have – but deciding what rights we need and fighting for them such as language rights and other socio-economic rights.
The Sri Lankan state is increasingly copying the terror tactics of Israel. The Israeli method of occupation and terror is now slowly implemented in Sri Lanka by the current dictatorial regime. There is a striking similarity in how the Sri Lankan state is slowly building up its military presence in the North and East and also how it’s occupying the land and how it has begun to create settlements protected by the military.
Our enemies have a lot in common. But so do we, the struggling masses who only want a life without war and poverty and discrimination. We must bring together our struggle to strengthen all our fightbacks. We need to adopt a global strategy of building solidarity among the struggling masses.
Let’s unite in struggle