arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Palestine Socialist Students Solidarity Campaign

Halt the Massacre in Palestine!

An Appeal to the Public Opinion of the Workers of the World

The scenes of massacre and mayhem in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank have aroused general indignation and condemnation throughout the world. Almost one hundred people—almost all of them Palestinians—have so far been killed by the Israeli army of occupation.

Israeli prime minister Barak states that he is not interested in peace talks "so long as the violence continues." "We will continue to fire as long as they continue to fight." These words imply the existence of a war between two equally powerful and "violent" opponents. THIS IS A LIE.

What are the two sides that are locked in combat? On the one side a professional, well-armed army backed by a wealthy and powerful state. On the other: ordinary people, mostly youths, armed with sticks and stones and a few firearms that are hopelessly inadequate against the modern weapons of destruction wielded by the Israeli armed forces.

That is to say: on the one side, an army of occupation, the armed forces of Israeli imperialism; on the other side, an oppressed people fighting to defend its most elementary rights: the right to live and breathe freely in its own land.

For many decades the rights of the Palestinian people have been recognised by resolutions of the United Nations. But what has this achieved? These hypocritical exercises were merely an excuse for the big powers, those Pontius Pilates that control the Security Council to wash their hands of the blood and suffering of the Palestinian people.

The fact is that the western governments only began to take notice of the plight of the Palestinians when the masses on the occupied West Bank organised an uprising, the Intifada, against Israeli rule. Then they suddenly remembered Palestine and put pressure on Israel to make "concessions".

The result was the abortion of "self-rule" in Gaza and the West Bank and the setting up of the so-called Palestine National Authority. This "entity" was never viable and in no way fulfils the legitimate aspiration of the Palestinians for a homeland of their own free of foreign occupations. The conditions of the masses in Gaza and the West Bank have deteriorated dramatically since the signing of the so-called Peace Agreements of Madrid and Oslo. Palestinian workers are now not allowed to enter Israel to work. Unemployment and grinding poverty poisons the lives of the great majority.

In all this, the role of Yasser Arafat and the leaders of the PLO has been to capitulate to Israeli imperialism at every stage. The aim of Tel Aviv was to set up a puppet "statelet", completely dependent on Israel and controlled by a toothless "government" that would effectively police Gaza and the West Bank on their behalf.

But the people of the occupied territories have rejected this cynical manoeuvre. They have shown that they are prepared to fight and, if necessary, to die fighting for their rights. They have nothing to lose but their chains.

The present conflict was deliberately provoked by the Israeli right wing, represented by Sharon. Everyone accepts this as a fact. Yet Barak persists in acting as if the Palestinians were somehow responsible! It is as if a burglar breaks into your house and tries to murder you and your family and you defend yourself, and the burglar starts to shout that he is being subjected to violence. The issue here is who is using violence against whom and for what purpose.

The demonstrations in Gaza and the West Bank have been met with the most appalling violence by the occupying forces. Even the Americans speak of "disproportionate force" on the part of the Israelis. Clinton is trying to pose as a neutral "referee" trying to bring peace to the Middle East. What shameful hypocrisy! For decades the USA has supported Israel and armed it to the teeth as its main ally in the Middle East. The only reason Washington is worried about the conflict in Palestine is that it threatens to destabilise the Middle East and affect US interests there.

The people of Palestine do not need such "mediators".

While Barak assures the world of his desire for peace, his soldiers continue to kill and wound Palestinians. Their callous cruelty was exposed before the eyes of the world with the cold-blooded murder of Mohammed al-Dorra, who died in his father's arms after being subjected to a merciless barrage of gunfire for 45 minutes.

The real situation is revealed by the death-toll. Out of nearly one hundred deaths, there are only five Israelis. This is not "war" but a one-sided massacre. The Israeli occupiers want to terrorise the population and make them submit to an overwhelming display of force.

Now the conflict is spreading. Using the excuse of the kidnapping of a handful of Israeli soldiers, Israeli planes have been bombing southern Lebanon. The aim is the same: to spread terror and impose the will of Israeli imperialism through massive violence.

They will not succeed!

For many decades the Palestinian people suffered in silence under the tyranny of Israeli occupation and the indifference of the "world community". Now their patience is exhausted. The people of Palestine, and in the first place the workers and the youth, have understood that their emancipation can only be won through their own efforts and sacrifices.

The only force that can help them in their struggle is the working class of the world. This appeal is therefore addressed to trade unionists, the Labour movement, socialists and all those students and youth who are willing to fight imperialism and injustice.

The socialist students who are actively involved in struggle are not sectarian, and are not opposed to the ordinary people of Israel. They are fighting against imperialism and foreign occupation, but at the same time they are fighting for the social rights and demands of the Palestinian workers and youth against the impositions of the so-called "Palestinian National Authority". They stand not only for national liberation but also for the social emancipation of working people everywhere, regardless of nationality, language or religious affiliation.

Their struggle deserves our support!

We invite you to set up committees of solidarity with the workers and students in the occupied territories. Pass resolutions condemning the actions of the Israeli oppressors. Organise pickets of the Israeli embassies and consulates. Organise petitions. Arouse public opinion by every means. Raise funds through collections to help the struggle.

Stop the massacre in Palestine!
End the Israeli occupation now!
Defend the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people!
Forward to a Socialist Federation of the Middle East!
Please rush all messages of support to the Palestinian socialist students now!

By e-mail:

palestinesolidarity@socappeal.easynet.co.uk

By fax:

+44 20 7251 1095 (or 020 7251 1095 if you are in the UK)

By post:

Palestine Socialist Students Solidarity Campaign,
c/o PO Box 2626,
London N1 7SQ,
UK