By David Sole
The apartheid Israeli state is pursuing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. But Israel is unlike the former South African apartheid regime. That racist government, also established in 1948, depended upon the oppressed Black majority to toil in factories, farms and homes, including in the establishments of over 400 U.S. corporations. Zionist Israel, on the other hand, aims to eliminate the Palestinians entirely from not only its original borders but also from Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
South Africa, like other areas, was colonized by European settlers attracted to the rich farmland and abundant natural resources. Indigenous populations were displaced, militarily defeated and even exterminated. South Africa attracted Western investments who eagerly exploited the labor of the remaining colonized people.
Zionism, from its beginning, offered its services to the Western imperialist nations in exchange for support in establishing a “Jewish homeland.” The Zionist leaders promised to be a willing tool against Arab nationalism which threatened imperialist control over the enormous oil wealth of the Middle East.
Jewish survivors of the Nazi death camps were funneled into Palestine following World War II. Most wished to go to the United States but were denied entrance. Once in Palestine they became dependent on Western aid and armaments.
The excuse that Israel was created by the “United Nations” falls flat when one realizes that in 1947 there were only 57 members of the early U.N. Most of Africa, the Middle East and Asia were still unrepresented colonies of European nations. And even then it took a lot of arm twisting and threats to get the 2/3 majority vote to give much of Palestine to the Zionist settlers. The final vote was 33 for and 13 against – slightly over the 2/3 majority required. There were 10 abstentions. Today the U.N. counts 193 nations as members.
The Zionist settlers have been at war with the people of Palestine since even before the official date for the founding of Israel. Over 750,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes, villages, towns and cities by the Zionist terrorist militias and the Israeli armed forces. They have never been given the right to return as guaranteed by international law.
The most famous Jewish scientist in the world, Albert Einstein, along with dozens of other Jewish dignitaries including political theorist and activist Hannah Arendt, signed a December 1948 letter to the New York Times condemning the Zionist massacre at the village of Deir Yassin by “…the ‘Freedom Party’ (Tnuat Haherut), a political party closely akin in its organization, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties. It was formed out of the membership and following of the former Irgun Zvai Leumi, a terrorist, right-wing, chauvinist organization in Palestine.”
“A shocking example was their behavior in the Arab village of Deir Yassin. This village, off the main roads and surrounded by Jewish lands, had taken no part in the war, and had even fought off Arab bands who wanted to use the village as their base. On April 9 (THE NEW YORK TIMES), terrorist bands attacked this peaceful village, which was not a military objective in the fighting, killed most of its inhabitants, 240 men, women, and children and kept a few of them alive to parade as captives through the streets of Jerusalem. Most of the Jewish community was horrified at the deed, and the Jewish Agency sent a telegram of apology to King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan. But the terrorists, far from being ashamed of their act, were proud of this massacre, publicized it widely, and invited all the foreign correspondents present in the country to view the heaped corpses and the general havoc at Deir Yassin.”
Israel has been armed and economically propped up by the United States for over 75 years. It is widely recognized as a military proxy for imperialism’s interests. There has never been any serious willingness by the Zionists to meet any of the desires of the Palestinian people for self-determination. On the contrary, the Zionists’ goal is to ethnically cleanse all Palestinians and expand to include all the land “From the river to the sea.”
Empty promises have been made to create a Palestinian state encompassing the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. But for decades Gaza has been crushed by the Israeli military and amounts to no more than a giant prison camp. The West Bank has seen the influx of Zionist settlers all across that Palestinian territory so that today there are an estimated 700,000 Jewish settlers in the occupied territory. That includes about 450,000 in 144 settlements (plus additional “illegal settlements”) and over 220,000 settlers in Jerusalem.
Zionism is now transitioning from apartheid to genocide. The mass slaughter of the civilian Palestinian population in Gaza is evident to the entire world and cannot be justified as a “military necessity.” Even the rabidly pro-Zionist, pro-imperialist New York Times had to admit that the Israeli government directed Palestinians to flee northern Gaza to specified locations in the south and then bombed them there.
“During the first six weeks of the war in Gaza, Israel routinely used one of its biggest and most destructive bombs in areas it designated safe for civilians” referring to 2,000-pound bombs. The Times also commented: “While bombs of that size are used by several Western militaries, munitions experts say they are almost never dropped by U.S. forces in densely populated areas.” These bombs, however, all came from the United States. “Since October, the United States has also sent more than 5,000 MK-84 munitions – a type of 2,000-pound bomb” to Israel.
Despite world condemnation and mild criticism by the U.S. government, Israel has intensified its bombing campaign and troop invasion of Gaza. Yet their avowed aim of capturing or killing the Hamas military units continues to be unsuccessful. In street to street fighting Israelis are suffering serious losses. But, according to the New York Times “Key Hamas Plotters of Oct. 7 Elude Israel’s Grip on Gaza.”
“Despite a military campaign that has caused nearly 20,000 deaths in Gaza and reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble, Israel has yet to locate [Hamas commander] Sinwar and other senior Hamas figures considered key plotters of the attack 10 weeks ago.”
This has only intensified Zionist fury. Israeli troops are so intent on slaughter in Gaza that they even gunned down three of the “hostages” they supposedly are fighting to rescue. “On Saturday [December 16] … the trio had emerged from a building tens of meters away from a group of Israeli troops. They were shirtless and were waving a white flag.” The troops “opened fire, killing two of the men immediately. The third was wounded and ran back inside the building.” Although “the brigade commander ordered his troops to stop shooting … there was another burst of gunfire. The third hostage died later.” The shootings were “in violation of the IDF rules of engagement.”
Palestinian self-determination is in direct conflict with the expansionist, racist Zionists goals, fully supported by United States imperialism. Subjugation of the Palestinian people can no longer be maintained. Apartheid is inevitably leading toward genocide. The people of the world must intensify their efforts to stop this process and secure justice for the Palestinian people.
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