By Abayomi Azikiwe
The administration of President Joe Biden claimed earlier on in the Al-Aqsa Storm launched on October 7 that the United States was opposed to the widening of the military struggle between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Hamas resistance movement in Gaza.
Soon after the bombing campaign and attempted total siege of Gaza, clashes between Hezbollah armed forces and the IDF grew in frequency and severity along the Lebanon border in the north of Israel.
The blanket bombing of Gaza along with the IDF raids on towns and refugee camps in the West Bank was bound to ignite solidarity efforts across the region and the world. Millions everyday engage in mass demonstrations and rallies while resistance forces in Iraq and Syria have launched attacks on U.S. military forces.
In response to the declaration of the Ansar Allah Resistance Movement in Yemen that it would enforce a blockade on Israeli linked ships until the genocidal siege on the Palestinians ceased, the U.S. has pledged to protect commercial vessels traveling throughout the Red Sea. Therefore, such an initiative by Washington further exposes the false statements by the White House claiming the administration opposes the wanton slaughter of civilians, since the foreign policy trajectory of Washington and Wall Street is geared toward maintaining the occupation of Palestine.
In figures released by the Gaza Health Ministry over 20,000 people have been killed since October 7. More than 50,000 have been wounded and almost the entire population of 2.3 million Palestinians have been displaced.
The Palestinian people are suffering from lack of shelter, healthcare, clean drinking water, adequate food, fuel for transportation, energy generation and cooking. The U.S. as the main ally of the settler-colonial State of Israel has refused to call for a ceasefire and continues to block any effective measures before the United Nations Security Council.
Thousands of tons of weapons are being transported to the Israeli state by the U.S. every week as daily massacres of Palestinians occur. All humanitarian organizations have pleaded with Tel Aviv and Washington. to halt the bombing.
Corporate and government-controlled media outlets in the West are providing political cover for the Israeli state by consistently labeling Hamas and other resistance forces in Palestine and across the region as “terrorists” and “rebels.”
Pentagon-led Alliance Facing Enormous Challenges
“Operation Prosperity Guardian” is the latest military project by the Pentagon to attempt to build a “coalition” of like-minded states whose objectives would be to keep commerce flowing in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic waterway providing a lucrative shipping lane connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. The strait connects the West Asian and Northeast African states of Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula along with Djibouti and Somalia in the Horn of Africa.
These waterways serve to transport manufactured goods, petroleum and natural gas. Any threat to shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden areas would represent a severe blow to the world economy.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin claimed in a press release that the alliance already had 20 members. However, many of the participants are choosing to remain anonymous.
Of the Arab states in the region only Bahrain has been named as a member. Even other imperialist states such as Spain, France and Italy have declined to join the Pentagon-led intervention. Spain says it would participate in a NATO or United Nations initiative while France wants to be a part of Operation Prosperity Guardian yet does not wish to function under the Pentagon command structures.
Greece made a public statement saying it would be involved in Operation Prosperity Guardian without specifying what resources are being shifted to the project. Greece noted that its economy heavily relies on shipping.
Australia, a close ally of the U.S., says it wants to join the Pentagon-led campaign while keeping its focus on the Pacific. The country will deploy 11 personnel to the operational center in Bahrain. However, no military vessels will be sent into the Red Sea area.
In the War Zone website which covers military affairs, it pointed out on December 23:
“While wrangling any multi-national coalition for a tumultuous operation like this is never easy, these developments among America’s closest allies are certainly setbacks. They also come as it appears that the threat to shipping is expanding far beyond the Bab el-Mandeb and its more immediate surroundings. Just hours ago, a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker M/V Chem Pluto that has ties to Israel was struck by a drone while sailing in the Indian Ocean, roughly 120 miles to the southwest of the Indian port city of Veraval. According to ABC News, Ambrey, a prolific security contractor that provides armed guards and other services to commercial vessels, said the drone struck the stern of the ship and a fire was ignited, but was eventually put out without injuries to the ship’s crew. The ship has structural damage and has taken on some water as a result of the attack. It was heading from Saudi Arabia to India when it was struck. The Indian Navy responded to the ship’s distress call with a maritime patrol aircraft and a warship.”
It is estimated that 10% of the oil shipped around the globe travels through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. Several leading shipping firms have suspended their operations in the Red Sea area. The threats to its cargo, personnel and the higher costs for insurance and security have threatened to severely reduce their rates of profit. These shipping firms are being forced to reroute their commerce around the Southern and Western regions of Africa.
On December 24, Maersk, the second largest commercial shipping company in the world, announced that it would resume its regular commerce routes in light of the commitment made by the Pentagon to safeguard trade in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. This firm, based in Denmark, will still face credible threats since the Yemeni resistance forces are not deterred by the growing presence of the U.S. warships.
White House Moves to Bolster Israel amid Major Setbacks in Military Campaign
Secretary of Defense Alston’s maneuvering of troops and military hardware is a reflection of the difficulties experienced by Tel Aviv and Washington in the Gaza siege. After nearly three months of offensive operations in Gaza and the West Bank, Hamas and other resistance forces continue their strikes against the IDF.
The actual statistics for the number of IDF soldiers killed and wounded remain shrouded in secrecy. Nonetheless, since early December, figures have been released by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several press agencies which illustrate growing numbers of IDF forces killed including high-ranking members of elite military units and their commanders.
Thousands of IDF soldiers have been injured and rendered disabled. Most of the deaths and injuries are being inflicted by the al-Qassam Brigades and other military wings of the resistance movement.
Moreover, the losses are not only physical on the battlefield. World public opinion has turned against the State of Israel and the U.S. for its unconditional support for Tel Aviv.
The Biden administration has further damaged its potential for re-election due to the White House and Congressional positions on the Palestinian question. A majority of the Democratic electorate are in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza.
Yet due to the strategic role of Israel in the U.S. imperialist project in West Asia and North Africa, the Biden administration is prepared to neglect the burgeoning mass sentiment against the settler-colonial state. Both the Democratic and Republican parties are led by imperialist interests. In order for there to be a shift in U.S. foreign policy towards Israel, tremendous political pressure will have to be brought against the legislative and administrative branches of the federal government.
The formation of a mass anti-imperialist party in the U.S. will require substantial time for political education and the building of internal organizational structures. Nonetheless, the work of constructing a society based upon peace and social emancipation is the only solution to the imperialist crises of perpetual war and economic exploitation both domestically and internationally.
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