Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century
 
Revolutionary
Socialism in the
21st Century

Gaza ceasefire: a new phase in the struggle for Palestinian liberation

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After almost 500 days of genocide, millions of Palestinians are celebrating the ceasefire deal that will go into effect on Sunday. Millions more around the world are welcoming it with relief, and hope that this may finally signal an end to the Israeli military’s onslaught against Palestinians. 

But even while people were out celebrating the news in Gaza last night, Israeli bombing struck multiple areas and killed dozens. The hours between now and Sunday may be full of escalated attacks, as ceasefire agreements with Israel have often been before. 

That Palestinians have remained steadfast in the face of this limitless violence, facilitated by a constant flow of arms, tactical and direct military support from Britain, the US, and other western countries, is an unforgettable fact. That the Israeli military, with billions of dollars and the most high-tech weapons systems, could not achieve their war aims is a testament to the resilience of the Palestinian people and resistance. 

The enemy soldiers will be expelled from Gaza once more. Gaza will not be split in half with illegal settlements, as Netanyahu hoped it would. We have to hold these historic facts high, while also reckoning with what Israel has achieved: genocide on a horrific scale, with direct military involvement from Britain and the US from bombing yemen to running recon for the Israeli military. Committing endless war crimes without reprisals or sanctions. Wiping out entire neighbourhoods and turning Gaza into a death zone, then expanding its war into Lebanon and killing thousands there. 

None of this should ever have happened or been allowed to happen. 

We celebrate the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners from torture in Israeli prisons, and the hope that they may walk out into a land free from constant attack, if not free from the grinding oppression of the illegal zionist occupation and apartheid. But we must also be clear that the only sure thing at this point is that Israel will continue to find ways to continue making life unlivable for Palestinians. Disrupting aid, blocking repairs to infrastructure, and the now-routine violence of illegal settlement and brutality at checkpoints are all ways of killing, all ways the genocide may continue.

In Britain our military is directly involved in this war, having bombed Yemen for months in an attempt to stop Ansar Allah’s blockade of the Red Sea. Our governments, Labour and Tory, have allowed the flow of arms from British factories to the Israeli war machine and backed the Zionist project in countless other ways. All of this will happen again unless we dedicate ourselves to building power and winning movement victories.

We commit to taking this moment of ceasefire as an opportunity to push forward our solidarity struggle here in Britain, not to let it fall slack. This is not something we move on from as a point in time, but an ongoing fight for liberation that cuts to the heart of the capitalist and imperialist world system. It is essential to build on and solidify locally rooted militant campaigning on all issues, from holding perpetrators and supporters of genocide accountable to shutting down the arms trade.

May this ceasefire be a step towards an end to the siege of Gaza, an end to the genocide, and an end to the decades-long Israeli settler colonisation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.

The next national march for Palestine will be on Saturday 18 January in London, gather 12 noon at Whitehall. More info.

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