Sunday, November 12, 2023

The continued assault on Gaza

 

The assault on Gaza continues.   Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams (REUTERS) reports:

The largest hospital in Gaza has ceased to function and fatalities among patients are rising, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday, as a fierce Israeli assault continues in the Hamas-controlled strip.

Hospitals in the north of the Palestinian enclave, including the al-Shifa complex, are blockaded by Israeli forces and barely able to care for those inside, with three newborns dead and more at risk from power outages amid intense fighting nearby, according to medical staff.


Leila Sackur (NBC NEWS) reports:


Pope Francis reiterated his calls for aid to Gaza in his weekly address to worshippers in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican and warned against an expansion of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“In Gaza, let the wounded be rescued immediately, let civilians be protected, let far more humanitarian aid be allowed to reach that stricken population,” he said, adding: “May the hostages be freed, including the elderly and children.”

“I embrace them in this dark moment,” Francis said, referring to both Palestinians and Israelis, and he encouraged worshippers to “pray and work tirelessly so that the sense of humanity may prevail.”



As the assault continues, the protests increase.  Jake Johnson (COMMON DREAMS) notes, "Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday to demand an immediate cease-fire in Gaza as Israeli forces ramped up their aerial and ground assault on the Palestinian enclave's hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, intensifying the territory's humanitarian crisis." BBC NEWS explains, "It was the biggest UK rally since [. . .]  7 October."  We've removed the phrase "since the war between Israel and Hamas began on" because the war didn't begin that day.  October 8th? That's when the latest assault on Gaza began because Gaza's been under assault for years.  Fatima al-Kassab (NPR) adds, "Protesters marched overwhelmingly peacefully through the city, meeting at London's Hyde Park and walking to the U.S. Embassy. The Met police reported 'no issues'' with the protest itself, saying that it had stuck to the prescribed route. The route for Saturday's march, which coincided with Armistice Day, was intentionally drawn up by protest organizers to avoid London's war memorials such as the Cenotaph, where two minutes of silence were held to commemorate the U.K. war dead an hour before the march began."  Mark Townsend, Tobi Thomas, Rajeev Syal and Toby Helm (GUARDIAN) quote activist Rachel Solnick,  "I feel really appalled by how some of the framing around liberation for Palestine has been as if there’s an opposition, or some kind of binary between Jewish safety and Palestinian safety. I absolutely disagree with that framing.  I think that loads of us who have Jewish ancestry feel really strongly that what is taking place in Palestine is ethnic cleansing and we don’t want it to happen in our names. It feels so important to gather here in numbers, as Jews and as members of the British public in general, to counter that narrative."  Chris Marsden (WSWS) observes, "Sir Keir Starmer’s backing of Israel has made him the most despised Labour leader since Tony Blair took Britain into the Iraq war in 2003 based on lies. This has led to mass resignations and a collapse of support in inner city areas. Many demonstrators carried homemade banners targeting Starmer as an accomplice to war crimes."  UK SOCIALIST WORKER reports:


 The national march for Palestine—of at least 800,000 people—in London on Saturday made even the massive protests of the last month seem small. 

“Now I have hope, now I think we can make a real difference to help stop the agony of Gaza,” protester Rania told Socialist Worker. She was born in Ramallah in Palestine and fears for her family and friends.

It was so big that there was a demo to the demo. Half an hour before the advertised start time, around 50,000 or more marchers packed the mile-long street from Oxford Circus to the assembly point at Marble Arch

Marcher Alex said, “I have been on the sit-ins and marches. I can’t rest and just go back to ‘normal life’. It’s hard for me to understand why even more of us aren’t on the streets and closing down buildings and places where people work. We need to stop society.”

Mariam is a GP. She told Socialist Worker that she couldn’t stand aside and watch a genocide happen in real-time. “As a health worker I have to stand against what’s happening in Gaza,” she said. “Israel is bombing hospitals and ambulances and killing my colleagues.

Raw fury at Israel and its backers was everywhere. Maryam came from Manchester to be at the demonstration because she was “just so angry” “I can’t take the double standards,” she told Socialist Worker. 

“Why is it that when the Ukrainian people fight back with Molotov cocktails everyone celebrates them but if the Palestinians do the same they are terrorists? I’m also sick of the media saying things like ‘Palestinians were killed’—no they were murdered.

“I know why this double standard exists—because the Palestinians are mostly Muslims.” 

Marchers were proud to have defied the cops’ and home secretary Suella Braverman’s attempts to halt the demonstration and slur protesters.

“Piss off Braverman, we’re on the streets and you can’t stop us. Your lies about ‘hate marches’ are so rubbish,” said health worker Andy Wollerton from the West Midlands. “Braverman’s the hate-person.” 

At the rally at the end of the march, Lindsey German from the Stop The War Coalition said, “The police wanted to call off the march. The prime minister wanted it called off. Braverman wanted to ban the march. But we marched and we will keep marching. 

“If there is any violence today it is the fault of pound shop Enoch Powell, the home secretary. She should be sacked.”

Encouraged by Braverman, the thugs of the far right fought the cops at the Cenotaph war memorial in Whitehall as they showed how they remember wars. Meanwhile, their fuhrer, Nazi Tommy Robinson, drove to safety in a taxi.

Demonstrators knew who to blame for Western support for Israel. As they arrived at the US embassy in south London, they chanted, “Joe Biden—blood on your hands. Rishi Sunak—blood on your hands. Keir Starmer—blood on your hands”.

Anger at Starmer ran through the march. Hazel from east London said, “He’s a murderer, I hate him more than Sunak because he’s supposed to be the opposition. He will do anything to keep in with the rich, even ignore kids’ deaths.” 

Imran Hussain, the MP who resigned as a Labour shadow minister this week, told the rally, “It was the people of Bradford who sent me to Westminster. They expect me to stand up against injustice.  This is beyond a humanitarian crisis, it’s a breach of international law and a war crime.”

Labour MP Apsana Begum said, “The situation is urgent. It is chilling—as are the attempts to vilify those opposing mass killing. 

“History will judge those that have the green light to slaughter. Demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to the oppression of the Palestinians. None of us are free till we are all free.”

There is a point—very rare—when a march moves from a normal demonstration to a city-halting, government-defying, revolt-inspiring social force.

Saturday 11 November was one of those. All of those who were part of it will speak of it to friends, workmates and those they live alongside in the next few days. They will remember it for years to come.

People speak sometimes of a change “from quantity to quality”. It means that increasing size doesn’t mean an event is bigger than another one, but that it becomes much more significant. 

This should be the spur to urgent and more militant resistance that’s desperately needed to break the British government from its full-throated support for Israel’s crimes. The magnificent march has to be a launch pad for even more effective action. 

There must be more demos, more sit-ins, more occupations and blockades, more campuses disrupted. And we need more discussion, more debate, more educating ourselves and talking about a stronger socialist fight on all the class issues workers face, as well as Palestine.

This was by far the biggest ever march for Palestine in Britain—and that’s partly because it’s not just about Palestine, but all the injustice people face. The trade union block on the march was bigger than previous ones with banners from branches or the national NEU, UCU, Unite, CWU, RMT, Aslef and PCS. 

Stop The War has called a workplace day of action for Wednesday—15 November. Everyone should try to build it and make it disruptive.

Those who are already set to strike that day should make Palestine a theme of their day and urge others to join them. This includes 15 further education colleges, the Go North East bus strikers, the Barnet mental health social workers and others.

The organisers of Saturday’s march called for local protests across Britain next Saturday 18 November, and said they will announce another national demonstration soon. 

Freeing Palestine will take a revolution. This movement, if it escalates still further, can point the way to building the forces that can make one.

  • Around 15,000 people took to the streets of Glasgow. 
  • Around 2,000 people joined a march for Palestine in Cardiff. Some protesters then occupied Cardiff Central station.
     
© Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original.   



Another notable protest was one in Austin, Texas.  Pooja Salhotra (TEXAS TRIBUNE) reports, "Thousands of Texans descended upon the state Capitol Sunday afternoon in support of Palestinians to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. and Texas aid to Israel. [. . .] The crowd stretched across multiple blocks and spilled onto sidewalks. One group climbed onto a nearby parking garage and held banners over the roof. Another group carried a white banner that listed the names of every person killed in Gaza since Oct. 7. The protest was organized by a coalition of pro-Palestine groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement and the Party for Socialism and Liberation."  Bianca Moreno-Paz (AUSTIN-AMERICAN STATESMAN) adds, "Chants of 'From Palestine to Mexico, the walls have got to go,' thundered through the crowd as they unrolled a scroll measuring 100 feet, listing the Gazan children killed by Israeli attacks since Oct. 7. Overhead, an airplane circled the Capitol, its banner saying, 'Save Palestine, Cease Fire Now'."  Tan Radford (FOX 7) quotes Abdullah Alqaroot stating, ""It's incredible, I don't think Austin has seen this big of a crowd. It's just a testament of what the people want, and it is a testament for what Palestinians are going through, which is a pretty hard time right now."




Today's protest in Austin follows a Thursday walk-out on the UT Austin campus.  Lily Kepner (AUSTIN-AMERICAN STATESMAN) reports:


More than 1,000 University of Texas students and community members gathered in pouring rain Thursday afternoon in support of Palestinians.

The Palestinian Solidarity Committee, which serves as both the community and UT student organizing group for Palestinians in Austin, held a “Walk Out” event Thursday at the Gregory Gym. Students left class to gather and chant for the end of the occupation of Gaza and the end of aid to Israel.

An estimated 1,200 attendees then marched to the UT Main Mall, chanting under umbrellas.

Thursday’s walkout was part of a national walkout held by Students for Justice in Palestine chapters. There are more than 180 chapters on U.S. college campuses.



 The following sites updated:


Posted by at