On Saturday, October 7, one of the largest military attacks on Israel by the Palestinian resistance occurred. In coordinated action, the border fences of one of the best-guarded borders in the world were breached at numerous points, the Israeli missile defense system was overcome, and attacks were carried out in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip. An incident capable of reshuffling the cards in the Middle East. The reactions to it are varied according to the diverse interests in the region - the victim of the Israeli "retaliation" is now to be the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.
A few hours after the attacks by Hamas-led units, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu declared, "We are at war! Not in a military operation, but at war!". This video spread around the world. Looking at the history of the Israel/Palestine conflict, it must be said that the war has been going on for decades and has not just started. Netanyahu, who is known for his aggressiveness not only towards the Palestinians but also towards the democratic rights of the Israeli people, wants to use this false statement to establish legitimacy for retaliatory strikes on the Palestinian people. Everyone who wants to know is aware that this attack by Hamas and the Palestinian national resistance definitely carries a new quality and did not fall from the sky either. The origins of the Palestinian resistance struggle lie in the occupation and expropriation of large parts of Palestinian territory by the Israeli state and its main supporter, the United States, as well as in the expulsion of nearly one million Palestinians since 1947. The German-language edition of the French newspaper "Le Monde diplomatique" aptly states: "The realities are well known; the only ones who can be surprised are those who misinterpret the media's silence about the situation as silent acquiescence by the victims." The delegitimization of the Palestinian people and their right for land, has continued until today through massive expansion of settler colonialism and terrorization of the Palestinian population both in Israel and in the Palestinian territories. This is the origin of the Palestinian resistance struggle against occupation, displacement and deprivation of rights and anyone who is democratically minded cannot oppose these concerns of the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian resistance has hit a particularly sensitive point with the attack on Israel: the security doctrine of the Israeli state. Fundamentally, this doctrine is now in doubt, because it has been shown that the highly armed borders are not insurmountable and that the colonial policy of Israel and its financiers and arms suppliers toward the Palestinians cannot continue indefinitely. On the Israeli side, the attack has cost some 1,200 lives, both military and civilian, according to figures so far. In Israel's subsequent attacks on the "open-air prison" of Gaza, at least 1,800 have been killed so far, half of them women or boys under the age of 18 (1). Thoroughly, the number of civilian casualties in Israel is a tragedy for the relatives and the population. Given the political and military oppression of the Israeli state against the Palestinians, it must be stated that it is the Israeli rulers and their supporters who are responsible for threatening the security of the Israeli population. Out of interests of power and domination, the security of the Israeli population is put at risk by the systematic oppression and expulsion of the Palestinians - for the war against the Palestinian people ... and now as a legitimization for the "retaliation" against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Through the media of the monopoly press, not only the cause of the national resistance struggle of the Palestinians is concealed to the greatest extent, but also so-called "fake news" is spread as a legitimization for thousands of victims among the Palestinians. Shortly after the Hamas attack, the "news" was spread, including by President Biden and Netanyahu, that Hamas fighters had beheaded 40 babies. Meanwhile, various media outlets have rejected this claim as unconfirmed (2), and various Israeli media outlets have also never carried this story due to their poor sources. Based on this constructed report by the private channel i24, which receives its orders directly from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, further headlines were constructed: "IS-style executions". And on social media, as we know, this sort of thing becomes a run by it selve.
Israel decided to impose a total blockade of Gaza after the attacks. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza. He reasoned, "No electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is sealed off. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly." (3) This is not a new phrase, but follows the contemplation of not insignificant parts of the Israeli leadership that the Palestinians were not a people, not human beings, but scum and animals. Towards them one would also have the right of extermination.
Not only have the retaliatory strikes on Gaza so far cost the lives of some 1,800 and forced tens of thousands to flee, but the total blockade of Gaza additionally constitutes collective punishment against the population of the Gaza Strip. Even under international law, this is inadmissible. However, the imperialists and their followers are known to care about their own "international law" only when it is in their interest. Both the blockade of Gaza and the "retaliatory strikes" and a threatened ground offensive must be firmly rejected by all democratic and revolutionary forces. The same applies to the bans on demonstrations in numerous countries, including Austria. These are tantamount to censorship: no voice of dissent to the course of the Israeli regime and the interests of the imperialist powers from the USA and the EU is allowed.
The event in the Middle East was and is a turning point in which the interests and rights of the oppressed peoples and nations, especially the Palestinians, must be brought to the fore and be defended! We will follow shortly more articles on the subject.
(1) aljazeera.com
(2) news.sky.com, de.euronews.com, aljazeera.com
(3) puls24.at
Image source: Smoke rising from Israeli airstrikes on Gaza Strip buildings, by Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0 Deed
gaza, redherald