Protest at Downing Street for Palestine on 11 May 2021.

Palestine: never give up the struggle

There have been a series of brutal attacks on Palestinians this week: forced removals in Sheikh Jarrah, bombing of the Gaza strip and attacks on worshippers at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Anindya Bhattacharyya writes that this is not new and must be seen as the product of Western imperialism.

What is happening to the Palestinians right now is not new, not some anomaly, not some break with the past. It is a continuation of what has been happening to the Palestinians at the hands of Western imperialism for a hundred years now.

I say Western imperialism and not simply Zionism because the latter is, at the end of the day, an instrument of the former. We must understand Zionism as something that operates within the context of Western military power and is ultimately determined by it.

Here in Britain we’ve recently seen an ideological campaign by imperialists to blacken the names of those who declare solidarity with Palestine. The aim is to make Palestine a dirty word, as it already is France or Germany. We have a responsibility to spit back in their faces.

These smear campaigns can win over the establishment media. They can win over the vacillators and opportunists in our political caste. They can win over the monied classes who care only about whether their opinions are fashionable, or lucrative, or both.

But these smears cannot and will not win the hearts of the people. We see, and increasingly, we know. The truth of the situation in Palestine cuts through the sophistry like a hot knife through butter. It will prevail. They know this. We know this. Victory to the Intifada.

There are protests happening all over the country this week. On 28 May Palestine Action are calling an action at Elbit Systems’ London headquarters. Find out more.