UPDATED, Oct. 9 — For 75 years, the Palestinian people have been driven from their land by the Israeli apartheid state. Millions of Palestinians live in exile, often in refugee camps.
Gaza is the biggest prison on earth, with over 2 million people living on just 16 square miles. That’s twice the population density of Manhattan.
Nearly 1 million of Gaza’s people are children. And 1.7 million are refugees. They or their families were driven from their homes in what is now “Israel” in 1948 by terror, force, and massacre. They can only return to their own land as day laborers, building shorefront hotels and condos for tourists and settlers. And if they’re not back in Gaza by sundown, they go to jail.
Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza is the most densely populated place on earth. Israel is now attacking it with U.S.-made bombs, and missiles dropped from U.S.-made warplanes, which Washington supplies Israel for free. At least 50 people died there on the morning of Oct. 9 when the Israeli air force bombed a crowded market.
Israel is also dropping U.S.-made white phosphorus on Gaza’s civilians. As of Oct. 9, Israel’s bombs and missiles have killed 500 civilians, including 91 children. Apartment buildings, schools, mosques, and hospitals have been destroyed. Entire families have been wiped out. These crimes are being committed with the full support of the Biden administration and Republican and Democratic politicians.
For 16 years under a blockade
For 16 years, Gaza has been under a U.S.-backed Israeli blockade, reinforced by frequent aerial bombing. People cannot leave or enter. Medical supplies and equipment cannot come in. As a result, unemployment is 45%; some 53% of its people live in poverty. Gaza’s water, according to UNICEF, is unfit for human consumption. Raw sewage pours into its sea. People get electricity for about two hours a day.
On Oct. 8, Israeli “defense” minister Yoav Gallant announced “a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel; everything is closed. … We are fighting ‘human animals,’” he said, “and we are acting accordingly.”
Israel was founded with 70 massacres in 1948 during the Nakba, meaning catastrophe in Arabic. Fifteen thousand Palestinians were murdered, and 531 Palestinian villages were destroyed by Zionists.
Thousands of more Palestinians have been killed since then. Just in May 2021, 67 Palestinian children were killed in Gaza by the Israeli military. Israeli forces have murdered over 200 civilians in the occupied West Bank this year. Thirty-six were children.
The U.S.-funded Israeli state is trying to complete the genocide it started in 1948. On the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, Israeli troops and armed settlers terrorize civilians, attacking towns and villages and driving people from their homes. They routinely invade mosques, including the holy site of Al Aqsa in Jerusalem, and beat and brutalize worshippers.
Yet the corporate media is screaming “terrorism” because Palestinian freedom fighters are fighting back. That’s how southern slave masters and their newspapers demonized Nat Turner when he led a revolt of enslaved Africans. Palestinians are also breaking their chains.
The same capitalist mouthpieces are howling about the prisoners taken by the Palestinian liberation fighters. They have been silent about the 5,250 Palestinians held hostage by Israel, 1,350 of whom are being held without trial. One hundred seventy of these prisoners are children.
Washington funds racist apartheid regime
Racist Israel could not have been able to commit its crimes without the backing of the Big Oil and bankster government of the United States. Washington has shoveled $158 billion into the Zionist regime. In the United States, all those opposed to racism, injustice, and oppression must stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. We must demand no more arms and money to the Zionist settler regime.
That’s money stolen from U.S. ghettos to keep Palestinians in ghettos.
In a dangerous move, President Biden has ordered ships of the U.S. Navy’s Sixth Fleet to move toward Palestine. This is an attempt to intimidate Palestinians, as well as to threaten Iran and the resistance forces in Lebanon, led by Hezbollah. The last thing we need is another U.S. big business war.
Poor and working people in the United States have no interest in propping up the Israeli apartheid regime that gave the old apartheid regime in South Africa nuclear weapons.
Many years ago it was written, “As ye sow, so ye reap.” For 75 years, the Zionist regime has been terrorizing the Palestinian people. The Israeli rulers and their Pentagon backers shouldn’t be surprised by the eventual reaction.
The only road to peace is for the right of the Palestinians to return to their homeland. Just as the people of Zimbabwe wiped racist “Rhodesia” off the map, so will Palestinians defeat the racist state of Israel.
Here in the United States, all those who oppose racism, injustice, and corporate rule must stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. We must demand no more U.S. arms and dollars to the racist Israeli settler regime.
From the river to the sea, Palestine must be free!
PFLP: U.S. aid to Israel aims to undermine Al-Aqsa Flood
written by Struggle – La Lucha
October 10, 2023
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) confirmed Oct. 8 that U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to provide all forms of support to the Zionist entity [Israel] comes in the context of continued American support for Zionist terrorist crimes of aggression, stemming from the depth of their organic partnership, which always aims to liquidate the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people.
The Front stressed that the statements of the U.S. president, which were similar to statements made by NATO, express the state of shock and astonishment at the defeat and humiliation that the Zionist entity suffered in the face of the Palestinian resistance. It also represents an authorization and a green light for the Zionist entity to launch more aggression and massacres against defenseless Palestinian civilians.
The Front believes that the U.S. administration hastened these urgent decisions to try to contain the strategic results of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle and its major repercussions on the Zionist entity, and its negative repercussions on U.S. presence and plans to control the region.
The Front pointed out that when the U.S. administration emphasizes the right of the Zionist entity to defend itself, it ignores that it has thwarted hundreds of draft resolutions to condemn the massacres and crimes of the Zionist entity in the United Nations Security Council through a veto vote, and has always sought to block calls that reject the entity’s survival.
The Zionists are above international law, and continue to ignore the role of the United Nations and international resolutions regarding the Palestinian issue, replacing them with a U.S. position biased towards the Zionist entity.
The Front concluded by emphasizing the necessity of exploiting the historical opportunity, following the strategic achievements of the resistance in Gaza in addition to the stormy international transformations, by calling for the formation of the largest international global front that brings together the living forces and the free people of the world to confront global imperialism and its protege the Zionist entity, and confront the American-Zionist plans in the region.
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Central Information Department October 8, 2023
EXPLAINER: How Palestinian unity, resistance thwarted Israel’s Jenin invasion
written by Struggle – La Lucha
October 10, 2023
Why did Israel invade Jenin? And did it succeed in achieving its objectives? what are the Israeli objectives anyway? And why is the Palestinian Resistance claiming victory for the refugee camp over the massive Israeli military machine? These questions and more are answered below ..
Israeli Army Radio confirmed the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the town and refugee camp of Jenin on Wednesday, after a two-day operation in which 12 Palestinians were killed and 120 were wounded.
Though the Israeli government of rightwing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed to have completed the objectives of the invasion, Palestinian Resistance said that it has successfully repulsed the Israeli advances.
An international outcry followed the Israeli invasion, which resulted in an unprecedented number of Palestinian casualties, the worst since 2005, according to United Nations officials.
During the invasion, Israel occupied residential homes, fired at a hospital and journalists. It also barred medics from reaching the wounded inside Jenin.
Why Israel invaded Jenin?
Israel has raided Jenin several times in recent months, most notably in January and June of this year. Many Palestinians were killed and wounded in those raids.
The July 3 raid, dubbed by Israel “House and Garden” has been the largest, most violent, and, unlike previous raids, it wasn’t just intended to ‘send a message.’
According to the Israeli military, 3,000 soldiers took part in the invasion, and hundreds of military vehicles, drones, and other military equipment were deployed.
The intention, as stated by the Israeli military and government, was to eradicate the Resistance from Jenin altogether.
Did Israel succeed?
The short answer is no.
Though Israel killed 12 Palestinians – including three children – and wounded 120, it didn’t claim that any of those killed were top ‘wanted’ Palestinian fighters.
Israel also says that 300 Palestinians have been detained, yet again without any news suggesting that any of these people were top commanders in the Palestinian Resistance.
Another indication of Israel’s failure to achieve major objectives is that the invading Israeli forces couldn’t penetrate deep inside Jenin, especially the refugee camp. The battle of the Damaj neighborhood was a perfect illustration of this.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) July 5, 2023
What do Palestinians say?
As soon as Israeli forces began their withdrawal from Jenin, thousands of Palestinians marched in the streets of the Jenin refugee camp and several West Bank cities to celebrate what they saw as the victory of the Palestinian Resistance.
Large crowds participated in spontaneous marches in Jenin refugee camp, Ramallah, Jericho, and Nablus, and the participants chanted slogans glorifying the Resistance and its steadfastness in the face of the Israeli occupation forces.
Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhaleh said the Palestinian people had achieved a ‘great victory’ by defeating the Israeli aggression on Jenin and its camp.
Al-Nakhaleh said that the Jenin battalion courageously and heroically led this great victory.
Al-Nakhaleh called for Palestinian solidarity to strengthen the steadfastness of the Jenin camp so that it remains an “inspiring title for revolution, challenge, jihad, and resistance.”
Are these claims founded?
Palestine Chronicle editors thoroughly analyzed many statements issued by the various Resistance groups in Jenin during the Israeli attacks.
The Resistance made several major claims:
One, the Israeli military was repelled repeatedly in its attempt to enter the center of the camp.
Two, Resistance fighters were united throughout the operation and engaged with Israeli forces at very close proximity.
Three, the Resistance blew up several Israeli military vehicles, killing and wounded soldiers.
According to video footage circulating on social media, local and international news reports, and even some Israeli official statements, the claims of the Resistance seem to be accurate.
Like Gaza, Palestinian Resistance perceives that preventing Israel from achieving its declared objectives is a victory.
But why did Israel bomb Gaza?
To demonstrate unity, a Gaza-based group launched several small rockets at an empty area inside Israel. Israel claimed that ‘all’ rockets were intercepted by its ‘Iron Dome’ defenses.
The Gaza rockets, however, were not intended to cause harm, but to send a message that Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are united, and it is not Israel, but the Resistance that determines the time and place of confrontations with Israel.
Israel responded by bombing Palestinian positions.
Israeli warplanes bombed with several missiles a site belonging to the Palestinian Resistance in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, and another site west of Gaza City.
The Israeli raids caused material damage to the two targeted sites, but no injuries were reported.
The Israeli military said his forces attacked an underground weapons production site and a site producing Hamas rocket raw materials in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli claims are yet to be verified.
Are Palestinians now united?
Though unity among Palestinians has proved elusive politically, it seems that the unity on the battlefield is closer than ever.
Hours after Israel invaded Jenin, Resistance groups in Gaza communicated to Israel that the Resistance in the besieged Strip is ready to enter the battle if Israel doesn’t withdraw.
Though, initially, Israeli sources said that the Jenin invasion will last for many days – or for ‘as long as is necessary’ – the official Israeli line began changing, saying that it was just a small operation that is limited in both time and scope.
Hours before the Israeli withdrawal took effect, a Resistance unit involving the three major Palestinian groups, Fatah, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad ambushed Israeli soldiers, killing one and injuring others.
The Gaza rockets were also a message that demonstrate what Palestinians refer to as ‘Wihdat al-Sahat’ – or unity of the battlefields.
What now?
Though Israel is claiming that its operation was a success, the Israeli military now understands that another Jenin operation, in fact a major West Bank reinvasion, like that of 2002 is no easy feat.
The political fallout of this realization is likely to be significant.
5 Ways to Take Immediate Action! Stop the Israeli Massacre in Jenin Refugee Camp
End U.S. Support for Zionist War Crimes in Palestine Al Awda-NY/NJ & The Palestinian Assembly for Liberation
As Palestinians are enduring unimaginable suffering at the hands of the colonizing zionist entity’s settlers and armed forces- who’ve escalated their coordinated and unbridled criminal violence- we call on all people of conscience to raise their voices and demand an end to the zionist massacre and invasion of the Jenin refugee camp; to end expansion of and dismantle settlements which are war crimes; and to end the horrifying settler pogroms against Palestinian towns.
HERE’S FIVE WAYS YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Call, Email, Tweet @ Your Local and Federally Elected Officials, 30seconds to just copy/paste!! ( see end of document for drafted email, talking points, emails, phone numbers and social media tags for your national and local reps. Just copy & paste sample email/talking points)
🛑📢Call, email, tweet your elected representatives, and tag them on social media. Express your outrage over the ongoing Israeli war crimes and demand that they take immediate action.
Urge them to call and advocate for the
Suspension of all material and political aid to the zionist entity;
Sanctions against the Zionist entity so long as it commits war crimes and crimes against humanity;
Condemnation of zionist massacres in Jenin, and of settlement expansion and settler pogroms in Palestine;
Provision of support and supplies to Palestinians to defend themselves from zionist war crimes and pogroms.
Spread Email Campaigns: Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to join this email campaign, to flood their representative’s inboxes and ensure our message is heard loud and clear. Copy this email and send it to everyone you know.
Organize, Mobilize, BDS:
Take to the streets and organize protests, rallies, and marches in solidarity with Palestine. Even if it is just a few people, standing together with homemade signs, it is very powerful and raises Palestine in all spaces, take photos of your action to show Palestinians in Jenin you are with them! Use your social media platforms to spread awareness about the atrocities taking place. Engage in conversations, share informative articles and videos, and amplify the voices of Palestinians. Join Palestinian and solidarity organizations locally and nationally. Use the hashtags #Jenin #FreePalestine #DismantleApartheid #DismantleGenocide. And always boycott Israeli products and companies that invest in the zionist entity, for a list see here: http://bdsguide.com/bds-list/
Support Humanitarian Organizations:
Donate to reputable Palestinian-run and Palestine-based humanitarian and medical organizations in Palestine that are working tirelessly to provide emergency relief, medical assistance, and shelter. These organizations are a lifeline for Palestinians.
Educate and Advocate:
Arm yourself with knowledge about the historical context, the root causes, and the ongoing struggle for Palestinian liberation. Join Palestinian-led advocacy and organizing groups in your community and schools. (Check out @AlAwda on twitter, @alawdany on Instagram, register at Palassembly.org, read https://decolonizepalestine.com/ and follow Palestinian news sources from Palestine.)
5.5. If you’re in Michigan support Dr. Mozghan for City Council, an unapologetic advocate for Palestinian liberation, you can also follow her on twitter @Mozghan4Council
Time is of the essence. We must act now to demand justice and support for the Palestinian struggle for liberation and safety from the Zionist colonization and war crimes project!
We encourage you to get in touch with your local representatives, including your City Council and state legislative representatives, whom you can find here:
SAMPLE EMAIL & TALKING POINTS: Subject: Urgent Action Required: Suspend Aid to Israeli War Crimes and Support Palestinian Rights
Dear [Elected Representative’s Name],
I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the ongoing Israeli war crimes against Palestinians. As your constituent, I strongly urge you to take immediate action to address the following issues:
Suspension of Aid to Israel: I call upon the United States government to suspend all aid to Israel until it abides by all tenets of international law and dismantles all institutions of Apartheid, colonization, and occupation. It is enraging to witness violence and human rights abuses perpetrated by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people with the material and political aid of the U.S. government and with my tax dollars.
Condemnation of Pogroms and Invasion of Jenin Refugee Camp: I urge you to use your position to demand that the Department of State, Congress, and the Executive Office publicly condemn the recent settler and soldier-led pogroms on Palestinian towns and the invasion and massacre of the Jenin refugee camp by Israeli forces. These actions have resulted in grave violations of international law arising to war crimes and must be condemned- and stopped forthwith!
Sanctions on Israel for failure to Comply with International Law and for War: It is crucial that Israel be held accountable for its actions and brought into compliance with international law. I implore you to advocate for imposing targeted sanctions on Israel until it takes immediate steps to end its war crimes and abide by international law.
Supporting Palestinian Self-Defense: The Palestinian people deserve the means to defend themselves against Israeli war crimes and aggression. I urge you to push for policies that ensure Palestinians have access to the necessary resources and support to protect their lives and livelihoods.
It is crucial that your office takes a principled and just stance in this ongoing conflict. By taking these actions, you will demonstrate your commitment to human rights, international law, and a lasting peace in the region.
I kindly request a prompt response outlining your position on these matters and the actions you plan to take to address these urgent concerns. Thank you for your attention to this pressing issue, and I look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition
P.O. Box 199
New York, NY 10272
LIVE BLOG | Jenin Under Massive Israeli Attack, Many Killed, Wounded
Eight killed as Israel bombs, bulldozes Jenin refugee camp
written by Struggle – La Lucha
October 10, 2023
Israeli forces have killed at least eight Palestinians during an ongoing major military offensive in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin – the largest operation in the territory since 2002.
Hundreds of Palestinians were streaming out of Jenin refugee camp in yet another chapter of displacement as Monday came to a close. The Israeli military denied that it had ordered the evacuation of part of the camp. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said that it evacuated 3,000 Palestinians from the camp.
At least two of those killed since early Monday were civilians, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.
Defense for Children International-Palestine said that two of those killed were children: Nour al-Deen Marshoud, 15, and Majdi Ararawi, 17.
Ayed Abu Eqtaish, a program director for the children’s rights group, called on Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, to “at a minimum issue a preventative statement in an effort to deter ongoing Israeli war crimes.”
Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights group, called on third states to “stop empty verbal condemnations and implement concrete measures to end Israel’s impunity.”
5/ Decades of international impunity for Israel sends a message: willful killings, destruction & other violations go unpunished. Human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity cannot be normalised. Israel cannot continue to evade accountability. #EndImpunity
The invasion began at around 1 am on Monday when Israeli forces moved into Jenin and its refugee camp and closed off the camp entrances, “isolating it from the city,” PCHR added, while Israeli airstrikes targeted civilian infrastructure.
Four Palestinian fighters were killed as residents attempted to repel the invading forces. PCHR identified them as Nour al-Deen Marshoud, Sameeh Abu al-Wafa, Aws al-Hanoun and Husam Abu Thibah.
One or more Israeli snipers executed three Palestinians whose bodies were seen piled on top of each other on a street in Jenin refugee camp in videos and photos that circulated on social media.
The first shot was fired at Ali al-Ghoul, 20, who was hit in the chest, according to PCHR. When Majdi Ararawi, 17, attempted to pull al-Ghoul out of the street, he was shot in the head by a sniper. The third man, Muhammad al-Shami, 18, was hit when he attempted to evacuate the other wounded men.
“The three of them were left to bleed for more than half an hour when people managed to pull them inside one of the houses,” according to PCHR. By then, all three were dead.
The Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank reported at least 28 injuries, mostly among civilians, with nine in critical condition.
In addition to those killed in the ongoing incursion in Jenin, 21-year-old Muhammad Hassanein was shot in the head and killed before dawn on Monday during a protest against the raid in Jenin near Beit El settlement in the central West Bank.
Civilian infrastructure destroyed
Israel has destroyed civilian infrastructure and troops have targeted paramedics and journalists during the Jenin invasion, which Israeli officials said could last for two or three days.
Videos showed Israeli military vehicles ripping up roads in Jenin refugee camp and the widespread destruction left in their wake:
The municipality of Jenin said that its water supply was cut off after Israeli troops destroyed infrastructure. Defense for Children International-Palestine said that camp residents were also shut off from electricity and telecommunications.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said that Israeli troops blocked roads and intercepted ambulances trying to enter the refugee camp.
الاحتلال يعيق ويمنع طواقم الإسعاف من الدخول إلى حارة الدمج في جنين لنقل المصابين pic.twitter.com/SuVXCfIm9b
Red Crescent director Ahmed Jebril told the UK charity Medical Aid for Palestinians that “ambulances came under direct fire” and were obstructed after Israeli bulldozers destroyed main roads in the camp.
Video also showed Palestinians reacting to tear gas fired outside of the Jenin governmental hospital:
The World Health Organization in the West Bank and Gaza condemned as “deplorable” the “ongoing attacks against health care, including [the] prevention of access to persons critically injured.”
Ongoing attacks against health care, including prevention of access to persons critically injured, are deplorable.@WHO calls for respect and protection of #health care, including safe passage to health services in #Jenin and across Palestine.#NotATarget#HealthIsARight
— WHO in occupied Palestinian territory (@WHOoPt) July 3, 2023
WAFA reported that Israeli forces rammed an ambulance attempting to enter Jenin refugee camp in order to transport a woman in labor to a hospital.
Journalists attacked
Journalists also came under attack.
Video shows an Israeli sniper firing directly at a camera on a tripod belonging to the crew of Al-Araby TV, in what the broadcaster said was a deliberate attack:
Watch carefully how #Israeli soldiers directly, deliberately & surgically shoot at journalists' cameras in Jenin!
The soldier opens the vehicle's door, proving he's under ZERO danger, then takes potshots at the camera until it's fully destroyed!
Just over a year ago, an Israeli sniper shot and killed Shireen Abu Akleh, a longtime correspondent for Al Jazeera, during a raid in Jenin. No one has been held accountable for her death.
Last year they killed my aunt #ShireenAbuAkleh in #Jenin and today they continue to target journalists…this is what lack of accountability and impunity looks like. https://t.co/KHdNBE66IN
Another video from Monday’s invasion shows an Israeli soldier smashing a hole in the wall of a building housing lawyers’ offices so it could be used as a sniper’s position:
WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, said that the internationally celebrated Freedom Theater in Jenin refugee camp was hit in a drone missile strike, injuring a child.
The director of the theater, where families had taken refuge, said that the Israeli military bulldozed roads and a memorial for Palestinians killed in the camp near the theater’s entrance.
Defense for Children International-Palestine said that in addition to the Freedom Theater, several mosques and the Jenin Sport Club were bombed.
The Israeli military claimed that it found a cache of weapons in tunnels underneath a mosque that was used as a hideout by fighters.
The army also says troops found a workshop for making explosives and that it confiscated parts of a rocket launcher.
Twenty Palestinians have been arrested as soldiers search for weapons in houses in the camp, Israeli media reported. Defense for Children International-Palestine said that “many Palestinian children” were detained.
Early in the invasion, Israeli forces targeted what they said was a command center and safehouse for fighters in the refugee camp.
The military operation was reportedly approved more than a week ago and Israeli officials gave their US counterparts advance notice, according to Israeli media.
The White House on Monday gave its support for “Israel’s security and right to defend its people against Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups.”
Extremist figures in Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government have long agitated for a major operation targeting Jenin – a stronghold of armed resistance in the West Bank aimed at hindering Israeli colonization and rendering the military occupation untenable.
That pressure became acute after four Israelis were killed in a settlement and after a seemingly routine arrest raid in Jenin in late June went awry when an armored vehicle was incapacitated by a roadside bomb detonated by Palestinian fighters.
During last month’s raid, Israel deployed an Apache attack helicopter in the West Bank for the first time in around two decades in order to evacuate ambushed troops. Seven Palestinians, including two children, were killed in the raid.
The ambush marked an advancement in the military capabilities of fighters in the West Bank, with Palestinians comparing it to the resistance that helped lead to Israel’s unilateral withdrawal of its settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and redeployment of the military to the periphery of the territory.
Israel’s ultranationalist national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, speaking at a notorious settlement outpost in the northern West Bank, recently called for “a military operation taking down buildings and killing terrorists.”
“Not one or two, but dozens and hundreds, and if need be thousands!” he said, adding that such slaughter was necessary to secure exclusive Jewish rule from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean sea.
Palestinians engage in a firefight with the Israeli military in Jenin on 3 June. Photo: Alaa Badarneh/EFE
Anshel Pfeffer, a correspondent writing for the Tel Aviv daily Haaretz, said the Jenin operation “is probably larger than the [Israeli military] would have envisaged if it didn’t also have to supply a fireworks display for the politicians.”
Pfeffer added that “it certainly isn’t what Ben-Gvir and his cohorts have been demanding, but it at least allows Netanyahu to look as if he’s acting decisively and his partners to claim that they have shifted the paradigm.”
The operation has been met with the approval of Yair Lapid, the opposition leader in Israel, who described it as “justified and necessary” and said that the goal was not to further undermine the already weakened Palestinian Authority
“Symbol of the struggle”
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, called on Palestinians in the West Bank to come to Jenin’s aid, adding that “the blood spilled in Jenin will decide the next phase in all directions and on all axes.”
Salah al-Arouri, the head of Hamas’ political bureau in the West Bank, called on “all fighters in the West Bank to fight with all means at their disposal to protect Jenin and the al-Aqsa mosque.”
Islamic Jihad said that Israel would not succeed in its aims to disarm Jenin, adding that the city “will remain the symbol of the struggle and the firm stand against the occupation.”
Al Jazeera reported on Monday that Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza called on the public “to rally around Jenin, raising the possibility of a stronger Palestinian response to the strengthening Israeli operations.”
Jenin refugee camp is densely populated, with 14,000 Palestinians living in less than half a square kilometer – smaller than a quarter square mile.
The camp is one of dozens in the West Bank, Gaza and nearby countries housing millions of Palestinians who were forced from their homes and land before, during and after the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 and their descendants.
Israel denies Palestinian refugees their right to return to their homes and property because they are not Jews in its drive to engineer a demographic majority.
The ongoing incursion in Jenin refugee camp has disturbing parallels to Israel’s 2002 invasion, during which at least 52 Palestinians and 23 Israeli soldiers were killed.
The Israeli military left “a landscape of ruin,” with “the smell of death” permeating the camp, according to a witness to the aftermath of the 11-day siege. More than 400 houses were destroyed, displacing a quarter of the camp’s population, according to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees.
Some observers have described Israel’s multiple deadly raids in Jenin and its surroundings during the past year and a half as an incremental massacre:
The death toll continues to rise in Jenin. So far 7 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, including 3 as a result of air strikes. Videos are showing bodies piling up in the streets. Every few weeks the same event is replayed. A prolonged massacre is being carried out. https://t.co/19i2ErzT7q
More than 180 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops, police and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza so far this year, or died from injuries sustained previously, according to The Electronic Intifada’s tracking.
Nine Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces in the Jenin area since the beginning of the year, according to Defense for Children International-Palestine.
In the same period, 28 people have been killed by Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank in occupation-related violence, or died from previous injuries.
The largest white supremacist event in New York City is the annual “Israel” parade. Held this year on June 4, it celebrated the 75th anniversary of the apartheid state created by expelling over 700,000 Palestinians from their homeland.
Called the Nakba ― Arabic for catastrophe ― the forced removal of Indigenous people included killing 15,000 Palestinians. Massacres were conducted at Deir Yassin and other villages.
A protest against this parade was called by Al-Awda NY: the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; American Muslims for Palestine; and NY4Palestine.
This courageous grouping confronted the “Israel” parade bigots. They carried Palestinian flags, signs, and banners denouncing the racist Zionist state and the support it gets from the U.S.
Among them were rabbis and other members of Neturei Karta, Orthodox Jews who oppose Zionism and support Palestinians’ right to return to their homeland. Other groups present included the ANSWER Coalition, Socialist Action, and Struggle-La Lucha newspaper.
The “Israel” parade is not a celebration of Jewish contributions to world culture. It’s a racist mobilization of the most reactionary elements, with cops on horses and other police detachments in the lead.
Particularly repulsive was the float celebrating the Zionist settlers in Al-Khalīl (Hebron) who constantly attack Palestinians. One of the settlers, Brooklyn-born Baruch Goldstein, murdered 25 worshippers in a mosque on Feb. 25, 1994, before survivors killed him.
There were also many contingents of students from Yeshivas, which function like the “seg academies” do in the South and elsewhere. These schools keep Jewish youth from contact with Black and Latinx students. Many of the older Yeshiva students were furious at the Palestinian supporters.
As disgusting as this annual parade is, it was important that there was opposition to it. Palestine will win!
Aleida Guevara advocates greater support for the Palestinian cause
written by Struggle – La Lucha
October 10, 2023
Aleida Guevara, daughter of the eternal Argentinean-Cuban commander Ernesto Che Guevara, called on Monday in Lebanon for greater support for the cause of the Palestinian people.
In the context of her participation in the event of the ambassadors of the Palestinian return, the internationalist doctor questioned the silence of the world in the face of the crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian population.
During her intervention in the morning session, she insisted on the need to achieve unity and coordinate actions in all latitudes and in different spaces to reach as many people as possible in order to defend the dignity and integrity of the Palestinians.
On the occasion, Aleida hoped to work as part of an expressed human bloc in pursuit of a common goal, the sovereignty, stability, and development of the people.
In her opinion, Palestine requires the solidarity of all, as Che asked, in the sense of living together with the people, sharing the daily reality, and facing their own lives side by side.
How many images pass through our conscience when we speak of this people, how much abuse, how much injustice, how much impotence, he said.
Incidentally, Aleida Guevara spoke of the steadfastness and struggle of the Palestinians in more than seven decades of Israeli occupation. In her words, she defended a full-fledged Palestine as a free and sovereign people where their children grow up with peace and joy.
The speech endorsed the right of self-determination for a nation owning its lands and borders and, in this line of thought, signified the continuation of the struggle until victory is achieved.
The daughter of the heroic guerrilla Che Guevara together with other personalities from Bahrain, Spain, South Africa, Tunisia, India, Algeria, and Lebanon, will receive in Beirut the distinction of Ambassadors of the Palestinian cause with the aim of strengthening the defense of this people for their independence, sovereignty, and freedom.
The event, organized by the Global Campaign for the Right of Return of the Palestinian People, was also attended by representatives from Chile, Australia, France, Indonesia, Jordan, Switzerland, Syria, Venezuela, Iran, Pakistan, Scotland, Kuwait, Argentina, and Iraq.
The following is Aleida Guevara’s full speech at the act of solidarity with the Palestinian cause held in Beirut, the Lebanese capital.
Dear comrades.
Brothers and sisters.
For me, it is very difficult to talk about Palestine in a calm way, the truth is that at this stage of life, it bothers me to talk about the Return of Palestine when we should be talking about the development of Palestine, about the new projects for the construction of houses in its national territory, about plans for the enrichment of its soils to make them more fertile, about the projects of plans for the feeding of the Palestinian people, in short, we should be talking in the middle of Palestinian land.
How many years of confrontations, how many years of suffering, how many crimes against humanity committed against a people whose only crime was to be forced to share part of their territory with another people who had practically been wiped off the face of the earth and who gradually used their wealth and international influence to displace them.
I feel very sorry for the loss of memory of an entire people who completely forgot the crimes committed against them for the simple fact of being Jews and that today they practice them with total impunity on their neighboring people.
Why do we still talk today about the return of Palestine? Why have we not been able to support more this brotherly people? Why the world seems to be deaf and blind to such a crime? What do we lack? Strength we lack strength, and to reach that necessary strength, we need unity, to coordinate actions in all latitudes, in all possible spaces, to reach the greatest possible number of people, to touch their feelings; if we are not capable of this, we will not be able to change the reality that day by day consumes the joy of a people, their dignity and their integrity.
The Peruvian poet César Vallejo said that there was a body that was dying, people were joining around it, but the body continued to die until all humanity was by its side, and it was only then that the body reacted and began to walk and that is what Palestine needs, that all of us are at its side and that is the solidarity that Che asked us, not that which was offered to a gladiator in the Roman circus, but to live with that people their daily reality and face side by side their own lives.
This is my greatest wish, that as a human bloc, we work towards a common goal, the sovereignty, stability, and development of the Palestinian people.
How many images pass through our conscience when we speak of this people, how many outrages, how many injustices, how much impotence? For all those who are not physically present, for the comrades unjustly imprisoned, for those who mourn their loved ones but remain firm and standing up for the struggle, I commit myself.
For a Palestine in full capacity as a free and sovereign people, for a Palestine where its children grow with tranquility and joy, for Palestine as the owner of its lands and its borders, for that Palestine, we will fight until victory, and we will win.
Hundreds in Times Square declare: Nakba was a crime! Palestine will win!
written by Struggle – La Lucha
October 10, 2023
New York City’s Times Square was filled with protesters on May 14. They marked the 75th anniversary of the Nakba – meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic – that was the founding of the apartheid regime that occupies Palestine.
“Israel” was founded in 1948 upon the massacres of hundreds of people at Deir Yassin and other villages. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled from their homes.
As a notice for the protest explained, “Israel” means “75 years of occupation, of apartheid, of settler colonialism, of massacres, of ethnic cleansing.”
The rally was called by NY4Palestine, which includes Al-Awda NY, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; American Muslims for Palestine; Palestinian Youth Movement; and Students for Justice in Palestine.
Other organizations endorsing the rally were the December 12th Movement; ANSWER Coalition; Bronx Greens; Brooklyn for Peace; Neturei Karta (Orthodox Jews who denounce
Zionism); Party for Socialism and Liberation; Socialist Unity Party; Veterans for Peace; and Workers World Party.
Colorful banners and loud chants attracted onlookers. Speakers reminded people that it’s the $158 billion that the U.S. has given to the Zionist regime that keeps it alive.
Bill Dores from Struggle-La Lucha newspaper linked the lynching of Jordan Neely by a white supremacist on the New York subway to the mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. “They claim they don’t have any money for the homeless or for food stamps … but they can spend billions for Israel.”
People marched through the streets to Grand Central Station. The cavernous train station echoed with “Apartheid has to go!” and “Money for jobs and education, not for occupation!”
Palestine will win!
Israeli occupation forces launch brutal attacks on Gaza
written by Struggle – La Lucha
October 10, 2023
Since Khader Adnan died on May 2 after 86 days of refusing food in protest of his detention in an Israeli prison, the apartheid government’s terror campaign against Gaza has only escalated.
Beginning May 9, the Israeli Air Force launched a series of brutal attacks against densely populated Gazan residential areas. The Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip have killed 30 people, including six children. In addition, more than 90 Palestinians have been wounded, including many elderly.
As part of this terror campaign, Israel assassinated senior Al-Quds Brigades commander, Iyad Al-Hassani. This is the sixth Al-Quds Brigades commander assassinated in their homes by Israel in as many days.
The IDF martyred Al Hassani in a massive strike against the Al-Nasr neighborhood in western Gaza City. Several children were killed as well. Al-Hassani has led Palestinian resistance operations in Gaza City on behalf of Palestinian Islamic Jihad for 26 years, including operations against illegal Israeli settlements during the Second Intifada.
The Israeli strategy is clear, cut the head off of Palestinian militant resistance no matter the cost. No matter how many children are killed or orphaned — no matter the overall cost of human life.
Absolute brutality is the only way for Israeli apartheid to survive. Consequently, militant resistance is the only way it will fall. CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News will continue to spread the lie that Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation is criminal or terrorist. Israel is not the victim in this situation. The Zionists are the aggressor at the behest of their imperialist backers in Washington, D.C.
It’s as if the Palestinian people are supposed to take their genocide lying down. History demonstrates that they will and should do no such thing.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
