The ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza has now reached a devastating milestone: over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed, with more than a million displaced in just one month. This number far exceeds the total civilian death toll in Ukraine, which, after 21 months of war, stood at 9,600 according to estimates from October 2023. The scale of destruction in Gaza is unprecedented, and yet, Western leaders continue to downplay its significance, offering no meaningful challenge to Israel’s military actions.
In a stark comparison, John Kirby, an advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden, attempted to justify the carnage, claiming that while Russia deliberately targets civilians in Ukraine, Israel’s actions in Gaza are different. However, Israel has killed more civilians in a fraction of the time, raising uncomfortable questions about the intentionality behind such massive loss of life. Whether this is the result of gross negligence or calculated destruction, the hypocrisy of Western leaders in defending Israel while condemning Russia exposes the deeply flawed logic of imperialist war propaganda.
The brutality of Israel’s assault on Gaza has unfolded during a time when nations across the Commonwealth traditionally pause to remember the sacrifices of those who died in the First World War. In solemn ceremonies, leaders vow to “never again” allow such mass slaughter to occur. Yet, these same leaders now turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed against the Palestinian people, as Israel’s war machine continues its onslaught with little resistance from the so-called defenders of democracy and human rights.
The Imperialist Denial of Reality
President Biden, in a chilling display of callousness, cast doubt on the civilian death toll provided by Gaza’s Health Ministry, questioning the accuracy of the numbers and implying that the high death count is an inevitable cost of war. Yet, even as Biden dismisses these figures, Israeli officials boast of the success of their military campaign, with one senior Israeli security official claiming that over 20,000 Palestinians have been killed. Despite Israel’s attempts to frame these casualties as predominantly Hamas fighters, it is clear that the overwhelming majority are civilians. Israel’s approach to counting casualties echoes the dehumanizing methods employed by the United States during the Vietnam War, where all dead Vietnamese were labeled as Viet Cong. In Gaza, Israel views all Palestinians as enemies, erasing the distinction between combatants and civilians in its relentless pursuit of military objectives.
A Rising Tide of Global Resistance
The complicity of Western leaders like Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and French President Emmanuel Macron in supporting Israel’s actions has sparked a wave of global outrage. In the face of mounting discontent, Western governments have responded by attempting to suppress dissent. In the United States, protests are branded as “hate marches,” while in Europe, demonstrators face accusations of anti-Semitism and threats of deportation. Despite these repressive tactics, the anti-war movement is growing stronger, with millions of people taking to the streets across the world to demand justice for Palestine.
From Washington to London, Paris to Jakarta, the protests are swelling in size and intensity. In late October, 300,000 people marched through Washington, and 500,000 rallied in London. Organizers are now aiming to bring a million protesters to the streets in the coming weeks. These demonstrations are a testament to the global solidarity with the Palestinian people and a direct challenge to the imperialist policies of Western governments.
However, mass mobilizations are not enough on their own. History has shown that even the largest protests, like those against the Iraq War in 2003, were not enough to stop the imperialist war machine. The demand for a ceasefire, while urgent and necessary, will not be met with sympathy by the capitalist class. Western imperialism has no interest in peace; its wars serve only to advance the interests of the ruling elite.
The Role of the Working Class
To truly stop this war, the working class must rise up and take decisive action. In the United States, protesters in Tacoma, Washington, have already blocked shipments of weapons destined for Israel. This kind of direct action must be expanded, with labor movements organizing strikes, picket lines, and boycotts aimed at paralyzing the Israeli war machine. A global workers’ movement, united in its opposition to imperialism and war, has the power to bring the ruling class to its knees.
More than that, this struggle must be linked to the broader fight against the capitalist system that perpetuates war and oppression. The war in Gaza is not an isolated event; it is part of a larger pattern of imperialist aggression that stretches across the globe, from Ukraine to Syria, from Yemen to Afghanistan. The same capitalist forces that profit from the destruction of Palestine are responsible for the suffering of millions around the world.
Revolution Until Victory
The struggle against imperialism is a struggle for the very future of humanity. The working class, the only force capable of dismantling the imperialist war machine, must rise to the occasion and lead the charge for global revolution. The fight for Palestinian liberation is inseparable from the fight against capitalism, and it is only through revolutionary action that we can hope to end the cycle of violence and oppression.
As the people of Gaza continue to endure unimaginable suffering, the global working class must unite in solidarity and take direct action to end the war. The call for Intifada until victory is not just a slogan; it is a demand for justice, for freedom, and for the overthrow of the capitalist system that has brought the world to the brink of destruction.
