Συντρόφια από το Αφγανιστάν και το Ιράν που συμμετέχουν στη συνέλευση SolidarityWithMigrants, για την κατάσταση στο Αφγανιστάν. - Ο ιμπεριαλισμός σκοτώνει κάθε μέρα περισσότερους ανθρώπους από οποιαδήποτε πανδημία

Συντρόφια από το Αφγανιστάν και το Ιράν που συμμετέχουν στη συνέλευση SolidarityWithMigrants, για την κατάσταση στο Αφγανιστάν.

Ο ιμπεριαλισμός σκοτώνει κάθε μέρα περισσότερους ανθρώπους από οποιαδήποτε πανδημία

Τί συμβαίνει στο Αφγανιστάν;

Από την εποχή του Α’ ΠΠ, τα αποικιοκρατικά Ευρωπαϊκά κράτη και οι ΗΠΑ έχουν εξαπολύσει μια αδιάκοπη εκστρατεία εγκληματικών ιμπεριαλιστικών επεμβάσεων στην δυτική Ασία.

Από τις στρατιωτικές επιθέσεις, τις κατοχές, τα πραξικοπήματα, του λιμούς, τις κυρώσεις, τις οικονομικές πιέσεις και τις πολιτικές παρεμβάσεις για την εγκαθίδρυση υποτακτικώνκυβερνήσεων-μαριονετών μπορούμε να συμπεράνουμε πως οι λαοί αυτής της περιοχής δεν έχουν βιώσει ειρήνη για πάνω από έναν αιώνα. Οι ιμπεριαλιστικές χώρες έχουν χαράξει σύνορα καιέχουν ιδρύσει έθνη-κράτη όπως το εγκληματικό κατοχικό κράτος του Ισραήλ. Κατασκεύασαν και πυροδότησαν θρησκευτικές διαμάχες εκεί που αυτές δεν υπήρχαν. Με κάθε διαθέσιμη μέθοδοαποσταθεροποίησης, αυτές οι ιμπεριαλιστικές χώρες μετέτρεψαν μία ανεξίθρησκη και ειρηνική περιοχή σε ένα από τα πιο ασταθή και χαοτικά μέρη στον κόσμο.

Το Αφγανιστάν δεν αποτελεί ξεχωριστή περίπτωση σε αυτό το ιστορικό περιεχόμενο. Μετά την επινόηση της χώρας στις αρχές του 20ου αιώνα, διαφορετικές εθνικές ομάδες, γλώσσες καιθρησκείες συμπιέστηκαν βίαια εντός ενός κοινού χώρου. Οι προαναφερθείσες διαφορές έχουν εργαλειοποιηθεί κατ’ εξακολούθηση σε συγκρούσεις και πολέμους. Επειδή βρισκόταν μεταξύ της ΕΣΣΔ και της Κίνας, το Αφγανιστάν απέκτησε κρίσιμο γεωπολιτικό ρόλο κατά την διάρκεια του Ψυχρού Πολέμου. Από το 1979 ως το 1988, περισσότερα από 10 κράτη ενεπλάκησαν στον πόλεμο-δι’-αντιπροσώπων μεταξύ του ανατολικού και του δυτικού μπλοκ. Για σχεδόν 10 χρόνια, η ΕΣΣΔ και η Αφγανική κυβέρνηση πολεμούσαν εναντίων των ΗΠΑ, του Πακιστάν και ενός αριθμού Ευρωπαϊκών και Αραβικών χωρών, ένας πόλεμος που κόστισε πάνω από 1 εκατομμύριο σε θανάτους. Η προέλευση των Ταλιμπάν κρατάει από εκείνη την περίοδο, όταν τα δυτικά μπλοκ κατασκεύασαν και υποστήριξαν ισλαμιστικές ομάδες για να πολεμήσουν ενάντια στις κομμουνίστριες. Μετά το 1988, οι ΗΠΑ συνέχισαν να εκπαιδεύουν και να υποστηρίζουν τουςΤαλιμπάν έως ότου οι δεύτεροι κατάφεραν να κατακτήσουν ολόκληρη την χώρα και να σχηματίσουν την δική τους κυβέρνηση το 1996.

Εντός της πενταετούς διακυβέρνησής τους, οι Ταλιμπάν διέπραξαν κατά του Αφγανικού λαού κάθε έγκλημα που μπορούσε να διεπραχθεί ενώ ο “ελεύθερος κόσμος” κρατούσε σιγή ιχθύος·γενοκτονίες κατά των Χαζάρα και τον Τατζίκων, λιθοβολισμούς, δολοφονίες, βασανιστήρια και οι βιασμούς γυναικών, μαζικές εκτελέσεις πολιτικών αντιπάλων (και όσων απλώς αρνούνταν να τους ακολουθήσουν) καθώς και καταστροφές χώρων ιστορικής κληρονομιάς. Όλα αυτά ταχρόνια, εκατομμύρια Αφγαν@ φύγαν από την χώρα και πήγαν στο Ιράν, στην Τουρκία και στην Ευρώπη. Μόνο στο Ιράν αυτή τη στιγμή βρίσκονται πάνω από 6 εκατομμύρια Αφγανέςπρόσφύγ(ισσ)ες.

Το 2001, οι ΗΠΑ και το ΝΑΤΟ κατέκτησαν το Αφγανιστάν υπό το πρόσχημα του “πολέμου ενάντια στους Ταλιμπάν”. Σκότωσαν χιλιάδες αθώων ανθρώπων, εγκατέστησαν στρατιωτικές βάσεις και λεηλάτησαν όλους τους φυσικούς πόρους και τον πλούτο μέσω εκατοντάδων συμφωνιών με δυτικές επιχειρήσεις. Ενόσω εκμεταλλεύονταν την εργασία του λαού του Αφγανιστάν, δεν έγινε καμία απόπειρα να εγκατασταθούν πιο μακροπρόθεσμες οικονομικές και βιομηχανικές υποδομές.Τώρα, μετά από 20 χρόνια κατοχής και λεηλασίας, οι ΗΠΑ και το ΝΑΤΟ δεν άφησαν τίποτα πίσω τους παρά μόνο καμμένη γη και τους Ταλιμπάν ξανά στην εξουσία.

Πολιτική βία κατά γυναικών

Για όσο διάστημα οι ΗΠΑ και το ΝΑΤΟ προετοίμαζαν την επίθεσή τους κατά του Αφγανιστάν, ένα από τα βασικά τους προπαγανδιστικά σχήματα ήταν η “απελευθέρωση των γυναικών”. Για εκείνα τα 20 χρόνια [της κατοχής], βέβαια, οι γυναίκες εξακολούθησαν να δολοφονούνται, ναλιθοβολούνται και να καίγονται στην πυρά.Οι βομβιστικές επιθέσεις σε σχολεία γυναικών, οι διώξεις, οι βιασμοί, η έμφυλη σκλαβιά, οι γάμοι-κατ-εξαναγκανασμό, η υποχρεωτικότητα στο φόρεμα της χιτζάμπ και οι κοινωνικές καιοικονομικές απαγορεύσεις εξακολούθησαν να υπάρχουν ακόμα και υπό την επίβλεψη του ΝΑΤΟ και της υποτελούς σε εκείνο Αφγανικής κυβέρνησης. Ακόμα και οι γυναίκες που δούλεψαν στον στρατό, στους πολιτικούς θεσμούς και στην κυβέρνηση δεν γλίτωσαν αυτών των απαγορεύσεων.

Τώρα που οι Ταλιμπάν επέστρεψαν, τα πολύτιμα δικαιώματα και οι ελευθερίες των Αφγανών γυναικών, πράγματα που είχαν κατακτηθεί με αγώνες όλα αυτά τα χρόνια, χάθηκαν ξανά.

Φτώχεια και ναρκωτικά

Το Αφγανιστάν δεν είναι μία φτωχή χώρα. Το φυσικό τοπίο, οι πόροι και οι άριστες γεωργικές συνθήκες το καθιστούν ως μια χώρα μεγάλων οικονομικών προοπτικών. Παρ’ όλα αυτά, ο λαόςπαραμένει φτωχός. Για πολλά χρόνια, η οικονομία της χώρας βασιζόταν στην καλλιέργεια παπαρούνας και στην εξαγωγή του παραγόμενου οπίου στις γειτονικές χώρες. Αυτή η κατάσταση, όχι μόνο συνεχίστηκε κατά την διάρκεια της αμερικανονατοϊκής κατοχής αλλά εξαπλώθηκε, εκβιομηχανίστηκε και μετατράπηκε σε καπιταλιστική. Πολλ@ νεαρ@ Αφγαν@έχασαν τις ζωές τους εξαιτίας αυτής της θανατηφόρας μπίζνας την ίδια ώρα που τα στελέχη της κυβέρνησης-μαριονέτας και οι οικογένειές τους πλούτιζαν καθημερινά. Από την άλληπλευρά, οι προπαγανδιστές των ΗΠΑ και του ΝΑΤΟ μιλάνε για τα τρισεκατομμύρια που ξοδεύτηκαν στο Αφγανιστάν. Πού πήγαν όλα αυτά τα χρήματα; Διοχετεύτηκαν στις αμερικάνικεςκαι πολυεθνικές εταιρίες, στις μετοχές των εμπόρων όπλων, των κατασκευαστών στρατιωτικών εγκαταστάσεων, των υπηρεσιών ασφαλείας και στις εξορυκτικές εταιρίες. Στην πραγματικότητα,αυτά τα λεφτά βγήκαν απ’το ένα μπατζάκι για να μπουν στο άλλο.

Και τώρα;

Οι Ταλιμπάν έχουν υπό τον έλεγχό τους το μεγαλύτερο μέρος της χώρας ενώ η παρουσία του ISIS και της Αλ Κάιντα εξακολουθεί να υπάρχει. Αυτές οι οργανώσεις, καθώς και τα υπόλοιπατερατουργήματα της CIA, έχουν αποσταθεροποιήσει και καταστρέψει ολόκληρη την περιοχή που ονομάζουμε Μέση Ανατολή. Η εξουσία παραχωρήθηκε στους Ταλιμπάν από την κυβέρνηση- μαριονέτα του Αφγανιστάν, η οποία απλώς ακολουθούσε τις εντολές των ΗΠΑ. [Το σημερινόκαθεστώς] έχει την υποστήριξη του Πακιστάν, της Τουρκίας, του Κατάρ, των ΗΠΑ και όλων των Ευρωπαϊκών χωρών. Επισυνάπτουν συμφωνίες με την Ρωσία, την Κίνα και το Ιράν, χώρες οι οποίες πιστεύουν πως το καθεστώς των Ταλιμπάν θα τους έρθει καλύτερα από το κατοχικό καθεστώς των ΗΠΑ και του ΝΑΤΟ. Ο λαός του Αφγανιστάν είναι μόνος του. Άνθρωποιεγκαταλείπουν πόλεις, χωριά, την ίδια τους την χώρα. Όμως, δεν έχουν πουθενά να πάνε. Όλες οι χώρες ανακοινώνουν πως δεν θα δεχθούν άλλες Αφγανές προσφύγισσες, χτίζοντας πάνω στιςυπάρχουσες υποδομές και στο υπάρχον νομικό καθεστώς, που είναι έτσι φτιαγμένα ώστε να ΑΠΟΡΡΙΠΤΟΥΝ συστηματικά τις Αφγανές.Η περίπτωση του Αφγανιστάν, όπως εκείνες του Ιράκ, της Λιβύης και της Συρίας, απέδειξε πως η ιμπεριαλιστική στρατιωτική επέμβαση έχει ένα και μόνο αποτέλεσμα: την καταστροφή τηςχώρας, γενοκτονία και μαζική μετανάστευση.

Για την εξέγερση του λαού του Αφγανιστάν·

ΝΑ ΒΑΛΟΥΜΕ ΕΝΑ ΤΕΛΟΣ ΣΤΙΣ ΚΑΘΕ ΕΙΔΟΥΣ ΙΜΠΕΡΙΑΛΙΣΤΙΚΕΣ ΕΠΕΜΒΑΣΕΙΣ

ΝΑ ΣΤΑΜΑΤΗΣΟΥΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΚΑΠΙΤΑΛΙΣΤΙΚΗ ΕΚΜΕΤΑΛΛΕΥΣΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΝ ΛΕΗΛΑΣΙΑ

ΝΑ ΔΕΧΘΟΥΜΕ ΟΛΕΣ ΤΙΣ ΑΦΓΑΝΕΣ ΜΕΤΑΝΑΣΤ(ΡΙ)ΕΣ - ΧΑΡΤΙΑ ΓΙΑ ΟΛ@

ΝΑ ΔΙΑΛΥΣΟΥΜΕ ΤΟΝ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΙΚΟ ΙΜΠΕΡΙΑΛΙΣΤΙΚΟ ΚΑΠΙΤΑΛΙΣΜΟ

-συντρόφια από το Ιράν και το Αφγανιστάν // Solidarity with Migrants

The Taliban are now in control in most of Afghanistan. They are already instituting strict sharia law and will move against the Shi’ites who they see as heretics, in particular the Hazaras. The gains that women have made over the last period, with increased education for girls, women in public life, and the adoption of Western style clothing, will all now disappear. Women will be driven out of public life and back into the home and female education will be severely curtailed.

In April 1975 the United States withdrew its forces from Vietnam in a humiliating defeat and after years of barbaric war, where they used saturation bombing, including in neighbouring Cambodia, and chemical agents like napalm and Agent Orange. As many as 2 million civilians died, as well as 1.1 million North Vietnamese soldiers and Viet Cong fighters, between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers, over 58,000 American troops, as well as several thousand soldiers from among American allies.

Like the fall of Saigon, the fall of Kabul is a major defeat for the USA and its allies, and symbolises another stage in the decline of the United States as the top World Power. It was significant that this happened around the 20th anniversary of the Al Qaeda attack on the Twin Towers. That attack allowed the US, and its allies, in particular the UK, to launch the War against Terror and bombings and invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. The defeat of the US in Afghanistan is equally a defeat for its chief ally Britain, as well as for NATO.

Almost 2,500 US troops as well as 4,000 American contractors have died in Afghanistan as well as 453 British military personnel, whilst as many as 100,000 Afghans have perished during the 20 year occupation of Afghanistan, with many others crippled and mutilated. The US expended $1 trillion in its occupation, with severe consequences for its own economy.

The US has known for a long time that it had not accomplished its goals in Afghanistan. Trump started the process of withdrawal and Biden has finished it. America’s declared aims were democracy, equal rights for women, and the smashing of the Taliban. None of these aims was achieved. The puppet government put in by the US was deeply corrupt and enriched itself from the huge American subsidies that were handed out. It was so corrupt and incompetent that it could not pay its own soldiers for months on end, hence their reluctance to fight the Taliban. Meanwhile the mass of the population have been living in poverty, with Afghanistan classed as one of the poorest countries in the world. When the Taliban swept all before them President Ashraf Ghani absconded to the United Arab Emirates with $169 million that he had looted.

Meanwhile Afghanistan grows opium poppies on a vast scale so that they count for 90% of the world’s heroin market. Whether this will continue under the Taliban remains to be seen. Millions of pounds have been made in profits from this by local Afghan entrepreneurs, whilst one in ten amongst Afghan youth are now addicted to opium.

The withdrawal of the USA and Britain does not mean that aggression against Afghanistan will end. The US has a permanent military unit of 2,500 troops stationed in Kuwait ready for further attacks if necessary.

Despite this defeat, hawks in both the US and Britain, including Sir Nick Carter, head of British armed forces, are talking about another invasion of Afghanistan. In all of this, there is at least one crumb of comfort. The expenditure in both materials, cash and human lives have made many in Britain totally opposed to any further foreign military interventions, and any UK government will have to take this into consideration in future foreign policy. One British soldier, who has lost both legs in the conflict, asked “Was it worth it?”

Pakistan has pay-rolled the Taliban and provided assistance in other ways and hopes to benefit from the new situation in the region.

Artificial

Afghanistan as it exists today is an artificially constructed State, developed out of the clash between Iran, and the British and Russian Empires in the 19th century. The 1907 Anglo-Russian Convention formalised Afghanistan as a buffer state between the Russian and British Empires. As such, it is made up of many different ethnic and religious groupings. The biggest ethnic group are the Pashtuns, who make up 38% of the population, and among whom the Taliban has their main support. Ethnic Tajiks make up another 25% of the population and the Hazaras, 19%, with other smaller groups like the Aimaks, Baluch, Turkmen and Uzbeks.

Language also divides this artificial country. Half the population speak an Afghan version of Iranian, whilst the Pashtun speak Pashtu, and ten per cent of the population speak various Turkic languages. Tribal divisions among the various ethnic groups also compound the situation, as do religious differences. 84% are Sunni Muslims, whilst the Hazaras belong to a particular sect of Shi’ite Islam, whilst in the north east, there are many members of the Ismaili sect of Shi’ite Islam among the Tajiks.

Afghanistan has been fought over by the Great Powers for a long time, with the British fighting several wars there and including the killing of 17,000 British and Indian women, children and men there in 1842 during the first Anglo- Afghan War. The Soviet Union intervened in Afghanistan after the Communist Party there took power in a 1978 coup. Worried about continued support the Soviets invaded and installed a Soviet loyalist regime in late 1979. This began a nine year war, with Soviet troops suffering 15,000 dead and 35,000 wounded. The US, along with the UK, Pakistan, Iran and China armed and payrolled various groups of mujahideen, Muslim armed bands who resented the Communist Party’s policies and the Soviet invasion. In the end the Soviets had to withdraw and that defeat contributed towards the collapse of the Soviet Union.

After the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, the pro-Soviet President Najibullah managed to hang on to power for another three years. However he was overthrown and murdered by Tajik mujahideen in 1992. The different ethnic mujahideen forces soon fell out with each other. Warlords controlled different areas of Afghanistan. This internecine warfare led to the appearance of the Taliban, not just in Afghanistan but in exile among Afghan refugees in Pakistan. It was a movement led by the Pashtun Mullah Muhammad Umar, and it called for an ending of the fighting, disarmament of the population, and a new Afghanistan under strict Sharia law.

The Taliban gained support by defending local populations from rapists from amongst the various military bands of both young women and boys. This began a protracted war with the different mujahideen factions.

The Taliban’s origin lies in the religious schools (madaris) among Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The state of Pakistan has provided arms, military training and finance to the Taliban in line with its support for Islamist groups in the region. Thousands of Pakistanis volunteered to fight with the Taliban.

The USA originally intervened in Afghanistan to prevent the increase of Soviet influence in the region, arming and training mujahideen forces. In doing this, it needed an alliance with Pakistan. Pakistan has pursued its own interests in this alliance. It is fearful of nationalist demands, having been traumatised by the loss of West Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and dreading further disintegration of the Pakistan state. As a result, it fosters Islamist rather than nationalist groups. In its conflict with Russia, the USA had to accommodate to Pakistan’s interests.

However, the USA continued to support Pakistan after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and failed to challenge its continuing support for Islamic fundamentalism, allowing Pakistan to increase its sphere of influence in Afghanistan via the Taliban.

What now?

The Taliban are now in control in most of Afghanistan. They are already instituting strict sharia law and will move against the Shi’ites who they see as heretics, in particular the Hazaras. The gains that women have made over the last period, with increased education for girls, women in public life, and the adoption of Western style clothing, will all now disappear. Women will be driven out of public life and back into the home and female education will be severely curtailed.

However, the average age in Afghanistan is now 18, and the more open nature of Afghan society in the last period, with increased electrification and education, have created expectations that the Taliban will not be able to respond to, making for a situation similar to neighbouring Iran where an increasingly disaffected population is in opposition to the Shi’ite clerical regime there. In addition, the whole nature of Taliban rule could run aground over ethnic, tribal and religious divisions and Afghanistan might not be able to maintain State cohesion. This remains to be seen.

In the meantime, the US and Britain have abandoned the Afghan people to the Taliban and clerical reaction. The dreadful scenes at Kabul airport demonstrate the fear many Afghans feel about Taliban rule. It is imperative that the large numbers of people fleeing the Taliban should be offered asylum, here and in the rest of Europe and the USA. Priti Patel’s grudging acceptance of 20,000 refugees here, staggered over a long period, is atrocious as is her insistence that Afghans attempting to gain asylum by crossing the Channel will be treated as criminals.

Britain and the USA created this situation, and now they must take responsibility for the consequences. This and Pakistan’s role in supporting the Taliban must be highlighted.

https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2021/08/20/the-fall-of-kabul/

A review of a movie about a whistleblower in the lead up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Spy movies are popular. The James Bond series for example, has been going for decades. It provides escapism, but little to do with reality. Non-fiction spy movies are less in number and less popular. Within this category there is a sub-genre of movies that look at whistleblowers. One well known example is about Edward Snowden (Snowden 2016). A more recent film looking at a little known yet topically related case, is Official Secrets (2019).

This movie charts the actions of Katherine Gun. She was a young language expert who had grown up in Taiwan and had taught in Japan. Upon moving to England, she initially struggled to find a job that would use her linguistic skills. Then by chance she noticed a position working for an organisation she had little idea about. They were called GCHQ and had a job, so she signed on.

GCHQ are based in a big metal doughnut in Cheltenham, a town mostly known for its horse race and an elite girls school. Their function? On its current website they describe themselves briefly and with a large dose of chutzpah as “We are the UK’s intelligence and cyber agency. Our mission is to help keep the country safe”. Katherine naively bought into this description. That is until she received an email in 2003 from somebody at the National Security Agency (NSA), the US equivalent to the GCHQ. The email was asking the UK government to spy on diplomats from uncommitted countries at the United Nations on behalf of the US at a time when the Bush administration was trying to gain support for an illegal invasion of Iraq. Katherine felt uneasy. She copied the email and leaked it to the media via a peace movement activist. Soon she caved into the internal investigation and admitted to being the source of the leak. There followed a potential prosecution and efforts to gain legal representation.

The movie’s portrayal of the case is refreshingly straight forward. Both in the sense of taking a (mostly) linear narrative approach and eschewing any fancy effects. There are no flashbacks or elaborate time jumps, a limited soundtrack, simple but professional camera work and a drained colour palette. Whether these are stylistic choices and/or a sign of financial constraints, this combination of factors works in the story’s favour. Apparently the personnel attached to the project changed significantly over time, so the fact it got made at all is a minor miracle. Though the strong writing and ongoing interest in the subject, mean it perhaps had a better than average chance of winning the game of roulette that movie making often is.

The lead is taken by Keira Knightley. The actress has been around a long time and proven herself more than just a pouty sidekick to male leads (Pirates of the Caribbean series). Here Knightley does an excellent job of showing that Katherine (who she looks nothing like, by the way) was motivated by a simple sense of conscience. The actress gets a chance to slowly simmer at times, to show vulnerability and even in a few instances to get angry but in an oh-so British and non-hammy way. Her performance keeps you engaged. Kudos also goes to Matt Smith (Dr Who, The Crown) who plays the likeable journalist who helps Katherine and Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List, The English Patient) as the lawyer who takes her case. The latter is able to blend chameleon-like into the role, with an attractive energy that doesn’t over-power Knightley’s central character.

One potential weakness of movies like this, is that they can devolve into a series of boxed in scenes in crowded offices. Characters spew forth lots of expository dialogue that can make the drama drag in places, for example, All the President’s Men (1976). However, if you want to avoid the 007 end of the spectrum, you have to keep things grounded in reality while looking for moments of ‘thrill’. This is hard when the main protagonist is a keyboard nerd. However, Official Secrets does manage to tease out a few such scenes. Without giving vital details, one is a brilliantly calibrated sequence in a newspaper office that shows how the smallest of things, in this case a spelling issue, can have massive consequences. Another is a race against time in a car, one that thankfully doesn’t involve a car chase or guns. Lastly, the initial moments of the court case take a surprising twist. These combined with the acting and steady pacing, add just the right amount of spice to avoid the stodginess that the story could easily veer into.

Official Secrets and the case of Katherine Gun deserves wider attention. This is especially true as the war in Iraq recedes into history. An entire generation has been born and grown up since the events depicted. They are the potential victims, working people, soldiers and whistleblowers of the future. Hopefully this movie may play a small part (it is just a movie, after all) in reducing the number of victims and soldiers in times to come, while boosting the knowledge of workers and the resolve of whistleblowers.

The Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group’s solution to the oppression of the Palestinians is the same as for oppression everywhere. The problems of capitalism can only be solved by workers’ revolution.In Palestine, that means defeating Zionism and replacing it with the No State Solution, a society of libertarian communism that operates on the basis of consistent federalism.

The dust has settled on the latest Israeli attack on Gaza, but the fundamental position remains. Israel continues its slow process of ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem and on the West Bank, while failing to demolish the military capacity of Hamas in Gaza. And yet, the situation is not stable.

Protests in Jerusalem and on the West Bank exploded on 6 May, when Israeli authorities moved to enforce evictions of Palestinians from the Sheik Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. Israeli law allows Jews who fled during the war over the establishment of Israel to reclaim their property, but prevents Palestinians from doing the same. The double standard in Israeli law is deliberate. It’s what being a “Jewish State” is all about.

The #SaveSheikJarrah protests started in Jerusalem, but then swept the West Bank and into the territory of 1948 Israel.They grew in intensity and police and military violence against them increased.Fascist mobs chanting “Death to Arabs” rampaged through Palestinian areas of Israel’s cities. They were often protected by the police while they did their violent work.

As Palestinian resistance deepened, it became more organised, but stayed out of the control of both Fatah and Hamas, the two main capitalist parties of the occupied Palestinian territories. A strike wave developed. Israel was under massive pressure and its propaganda machine had no targets.

Hamas to the rescue

It was Hamas that came to Israel’s rescue.The developing mass Palestinian insurrection was threatening to render them irrelevant. Hamas sought to counter that by launching a rocket attack on Israel, starting on 10 May. This was an engraved invitation for Israel to send its air force on murderous bombing raids against Gaza. Transferring the struggle onto the military plane was part of the plan.(Readers should note we do not equate the terrorism of Hamas with Israeli State terror. Israel’s violence is systematic, institutionalised and on a far greater scale.)

Hamas and Israel succeeded in their objective.They undercut mass political action by the Palestinians and converted them into passive spectators of a military conflict from which they were excluded. Israel was once again flattening Gaza with its air force while Hamas fired rockets, whose inaccuracy rendered them almost random, into civilian targets and perhaps the occasional military one.By the time of the 21 May ceasefire, the steam was gone from the mass struggle. It subsided soon afterwards. The status quo had been re-established, for the time being.

Zionism

The oppression of the Palestinians is a product of the Zionist colonisation project that created Israel and continues to build settlements on the West Bank and force Palestinians out of East Jerusalem.Until World War II, it was a minority political philosophy amongst Jews and, of these, only a minority favoured the establishment of a Jewish State. The majority position of Zionists then was a binational State for both Jews and Arabs in Palestine.

After World War II, Zionism gained the support of a majority of Jews.The Nazi Holocaust had not only killed six million European Jews, but, for many survivors, destroyed faith that anti-Semitism could be eradicated.

Israel was created in 1948 and 700,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes in the atrocity that became known as Nakba.As a Jewish State, Israel is not the State of all its citizens. Rather, it is the moral and political equivalent of a White Australia or an Islamic Republic. Despite a veneer of equality, its Palestinian citizens are systematically discriminated against by a web of laws. Palestinians in the occupied territories are treated as unwelcome obstacles who are expelled when circumstances allow and their land is assimilated into Israel.

The Palestinian struggle

In the early days, the struggle of the Palestinians against Zionist colonisation was conducted under largely traditional leadership. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, leader of the Palestinians in the 1930s, was a bloodthirsty bigot who spent the majority of WWII collaborating with the Nazis in Germany. The Palestine Liberation Organisation, founded in 1964, initially adopted armed struggle, but shifted after a couple of years to a strategy of building support among capitalist States.

The First Intifada ran from 1987 to 1993 and marked the entry of the Palestinian masses into the field of struggle for the first time since the 1930s. It consisted of strikes and demonstrations which, until close to the end, adopted a deliberate strategy of avoiding lethal violence, despite the intense violence of Israel in trying to suppress it.The Intifada was marked by general support for the PLO political position, but a determination to maintain its organisational autonomy. It culminated in the Oslo Accords of 1993 and 1995.

Hamas was formed at the start of the Intifada, growing out of the Gaza branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.It gained popularity as Palestinians became disillusioned with the results of the Oslo Accords.It was the primary force behind the Second Intifada of 2000-05.Its signature tactic at the time was suicide bombing of Israeli civilians. This destroyed the peace camp in Israeli politics and led to a massive shift to the right in Israel. It was militarily ineffective and a political disaster.

Since then, there has been a strategic stalemate, with inconclusive Israeli attacks on Gaza in 2008 and 2014.Palestinians started to become disillusioned with Hamas while continuing to deepen their distrust of Fatah, who have degenerated into corrupt collaborators with Israel. This year’s conflict has restored the reputation of Hamas to some extent, but has not changed the underlying situation.

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement was launched in 2005 when the Second Intifada petered out without result.It was consciously set up by a wide range of civil society organisations as an alternative to armed struggle and outside of the control of both Hamas and Fatah. Its aim is the achievement of a democratic, secular State in Palestine, where Jews and Palestinians will live as equals.Taking its inspiration from South Africa, it proposes civil boycotts of Israel, disinvestment from Israeli companies and from companies doing business with Israel and the imposition of sanctions on Israel by other States.

This movement has been growing in strength ever since. Accordingly, the BDS movement has become the target of most of Israel’s propaganda abroad. Its key argument is that the return of the Palestinian refugees would lead to Jews being outvoted and Israel’s nature as a Jewish State being dismantled. According to Israel, this would be anti-Semitic, but the Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group disagrees. The return of refugees is a universal right and majorities achieved by ethnic cleansing are indefensible.People everywhere should live in freedom and equality, so the discriminatory basis of the Israeli State is also illegitimate.

We defend the BDS movement against Israel’s propaganda, while also criticising them. We do not oppose the boycott aspect of the movement, but BDS relies for its main strength on the prospect of getting capitalist governments and corporations to put pressure on Israel. This hands control to the capitalists over what sort of society will exist in Palestine. The outcomes would not be favourable to the Palestinians.

The road forward

For the Palestinians to achieve freedom, many things need to change. Firstly, a political movement needs to develop that can prevent Hamas derailing mass struggle as happened in May this year. Attacks on civilians, whether through rockets or suicide bombs, unite Israel, driving the working class into the arms of their exploiters.

Second, the labour wing of the BDS movement has to develop strongly, with a special focus on preventing the export of weapons and military equipment to Israel or their import from Israel. Port workers in Livorno in Italy refused to load a ship they believed was going to carry weapons to Israel. This was an excellent action and should serve as a model for workers worldwide.

Thirdly, and most importantly, workers need to rise and overthrow the sheikhs, the Ayatollahs and all the other tyrants that plague West Asia and North Africa. Egypt is the most important country in this process. Over twice as populous as any other Arab country, it shares a border with Israel and currently assists with enforcing the starvation blockade of Gaza. Egypt has a large working class which has engaged in repeated militant strike movements, most recently in 2011 during the Arab Spring. The workers’ movement must purge anti-Semitism from Egypt and other countries in the region.Anti- Semitism serves as a lightning rod for the tyrants. Not only is it ethically wrong, but it captures and safely dissipates class anger that should be directed at the tyrants themselves.

A workers’ revolution in Egypt would split Israel along class lines. It would place immense pressure on Israel by strategically boycotting trade with it and by relieving the blockade of Gaza. It would also create an example of a better society which would appeal to the class interests of workers in Israel – including Jewish workers currently committed to Zionism.And, without national unity, the Zionist project will unravel.

The Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group’s solution to the oppression of the Palestinians is the same as for oppression everywhere. The problems of capitalism can only be solved by workers’ revolution.In Palestine, that means defeating Zionism and replacing it with the No State Solution, a society of libertarian communism that operates on the basis of consistent federalism.

THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM RUNS THROUGH CAIRO

Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group

*This article first published in ‘The Anvil” (Vol.10/No 3, May 2021 - June 2021) newsletter of the Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group.

The UCL participated in the European delegation to observe the Turkish war crimes in Iraqi Kurdistan.
This delegation is taking place at a time when Erdogan is received at the NATO summit. His formal meeting with Macron does not hide his objective, which is obviously to legitimize his illegal invasion of Iraq, and to obtain from NATO a blank check to continue his military campaign.
His pretext: to eradicate the PKK, a "terrorist organization" according to the Council of Europe's blacklist.
His strategy: to intimidate European nations, to maintain bombings, military pressure and destruction of crops in Iraqi Kurdistan, to force Mahmoud Barzani's KDP to collaborate openly with him, against its brothers and sisters in Kurdistan.
At the time of publishing this information, the conference of the delegation has been prevented by the KDP, the hotel where it is held is surrounded by the military, and our comrades have been sent back to France after interrogation by the police of the KDP, traitor to the Kurdish cause.

We, as a delegation from all over Europe, have come to Kurdistan aiming for peace and freedom. Politicians, academics, human rights activists, syndicalists, journalists, feminists and ecologists from over ten countries wanted to get direct impressions of the situation and stand up to end the war and destruction. With 150 persons we wanted to establish a dialogue with the members of parliament of all parties and visit non-governmental organizations in order to contribute to a dialogue between the different Kurdish political actors.

The invasion of the Turkish military violating international laws is without doubt unacceptable. However, we are sadly witnessing that the international community of states remains inactive against this, and does not insist on the compliance with the international codes and human rights.

The Kurdish Regional Government prevented the delegation from establishing dialogues with most political actors in South Kurdistan. Organizations we wanted to visit were intimidated so that they would draw back from their already planned meetings. A huge part of the delegation couldn’t arrive in Kurdistan. 25 people have been deported so far, or are about to be deported. At least 27 people were held at Düsseldorf airport in Germany and banned for their departure.

We are outraged by the illegal deportations of our international friends, which were carried out by the Kurdish Regional Government, and the travel bans on the grounds that these people “appeared to be political” without a clear legal basis. Free media coverage and engagement of civil society are components of every vital democracy and has no reason for repression.

In order to support peace, we have spared no pains and been welcomed in South Kurdistan. We have been provided trips to see cultural, religious and historical places and invited to open a conversation with Baba Șeix, the highest religious representative of the Êzîdî community. In the Êzîdî refugee camp Șarya, which had to suffer from a big fire about a week ago, we spoke to the people that are especially affected by the war, displacement and destruction. The friendship and hospitality we experienced from people living here warm our hearts, and motivate us even more to hold on to our goal. We are here to be in solidarity with the Kurdish people and with all ethnic and religious groups of Kurdistan.

We’re internationalists, and don’t represent any Kurdish parties or specific political movements. We’re standing against the colonization of Kurdistan by the external states. We are not here to stand against any Kurdish parties. Quite the contrary, we want to support a dialogue between all different views. It is not about a Kurdish problem, but aggression coming from the Turkish state and Turkish military directed at the local people and nature of the Kurdish regions. Creating a problem, even an armed conflict, between Kurds out of this is a big trap as well as a danger for the peace and future of the whole Middle East. It’s our urgent wish to warn all Kurds on this, and call for establishing and continuing dialogues. A political solution must be found and it’s necessary to stand together against external threats. Therefore our demands are:

Everyone willing to join the delegation who was rejected, arrested or deported at one of the airports is to be set free and to be granted permission to join the rest of the delegation.
All Kurdish political actors should return to dialogue with each other.
We call for all international humanitarian organizations and political institutions to support a peaceful solution. The Turkish state military must immediately withdraw from the whole region.

The Kurds have the mountains, but today they also have friends. All friends of Kurds are being called on to rise, spread the message and contribute to peace process doing our own share.

International Delegation for Peace and Freedom in Kurdistan

Erbil, 12.06.2021