Stop the war in Palestine

When there is an armed conflict between two or more states, it is very tempting to take a stance for the state that seems to defend rights like self-determination, freedom of movement, the right to live where you where born, the right to be part of the society and not to live under the Apartheid.

The World War I already posed a big question to the labour movement and socialism in general. Which side to support? The Central Powers or the Allied Powers? Or should they insist on the anti-militarism and the internationalism that inspired the establishment of the First International back in 1864?

That time the social-democracy decided to support the military interests of the states of the Allied Powers, thinking that they will defend the principles of democracy against the threat of a victory of the Austro-Hungarian, German, Ottoman empires and the Kingdom of Bulgaria. They were mixing up socialism and democracy.

After the creation of the State of Israel in the British Mandate for Palestine and all its harsh consequences for the native population, we are all pushed to think that the right thing to do is to support the Palestinian interests. But, what are the Palestinian interests?

The right to life? The right to live where you where born? Freedom of movement? The right to participate in the society? The right to equal opportunities?

Aren't these the interests of every single human being regardless of his/her origin, religion or mother tongue?

So here we are facing the same dilemma that faced the socialists at the beginning of the 20th century: should we support one of the states in war hopping that the victory of one of them over the other will guarantee all mentioned rights?

This time, and in front of any war between states, the answer is, and will always be: NO. Supporting a state to guarantee the human rights is not, and will never be, a good idea. The states are not, and will never be, guarantee of peace and fundamental rights for the people. But just the opposite.

Both the State of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority claim to defend the interests of their peoples. But they actually defend the interests of their corresponding elites and those of their corresponding international allies. Both the Zionists and ultranationalist from the Likud Party and the ultranationalists and Islamists from Hamas use the war as a means of consolidating their power over the people. A people that is poisoned with hate for the eternal enemy. Because every state needs to protect the people from an external or an internal public enemy. The conflict between Jews and Arabs is the best guarantee of survival for both power structures.

That's why we rise a call to the people that suffers and experiences the conflict in their own bodies, to the Jews and the Arabs, the blood of which have been shed for to many years:

  • Your origin, your language or your religion don't matter: unite against the tyranny of the states that use you and make you hate each other intentionally.
  • Emancipate yourselves from the mental slavery of religious fanaticism and nationalism.
  • Fight together for your fundamental right as human beings and as workers. Fight together against the economical elites that want you divided.

We demand from the State of Israel and the Likud Party that they

  • immediately and forever stop any attack to the civilian population of the Gaza strip.
  • resign from their plans to banish the Arab population from East Jerusalem.
  • stop the persecution of the Arab population in all the territories controlled by them.

We demand from the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas that they

  • stop any kind of attack to the civilian population of Israel.

And we remind all those that are tempted to justify the attacks by Hamas against the civilian population of Israel because they sympathise with the Palestinian cause that the cruelty of a state is not measured by the number of civilian victims caused by their armies. One single innocent victim in Israel caused by an attack by the Islamists of Hamas is as outrageous as one single victim in Gaza caused by a bombing by the Israeli army. In this war being right is not about burying more civilians than the other side.

Down with the tyranny of the states and the economical elites. Against any war between peoples for the interests of the privileged. Down with any war between brothers and sisters for the geopolitical interests of the international capitalist powers.

Because there is only one war worth fighting: CLASS WAR!

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