A number of commentators and politicians in these two countries are preparing public opinion for an all-out offensive by the Israeli military--an option that is openly discussed among Israeli political leaders today. They are stepping up their slanders against the Palestinians, aiming to deaden the response of working people elsewhere to the use of Israel's military might against the Palestinians' just struggle for self-determination.

These warmongers point to the many wars with Palestinians and with other countries in the region that have been fought to establish and maintain the Zionist state. Those wars included the 1967 surprise attack by the Israeli military, which seized the West Bank and Gaza Strip, along with other territories, from neighboring countries. The Palestinians living in those areas were supposed to become a source of docile, cheap labor. The areas granted to them for self-rule after years of struggle--scattered, disconnected, and vulnerable to military attack--were intended as a sop that would end their mobilizations and their resistance. That the Palestinians did not submit, but continued to fight for their national rights, is their real crime in the eyes of the Israeli rulers and their backers.

The state of Israel is a death trap for the great majority of Jewish people who live there. The present and future perspectives of those who counsel war illustrate that fact. This state serves only the interests of the tiny minority of superwealthy capitalists who are its ruling class, and the ruling classes in other imperialist countries. By contrast, it offers working people who are Jewish only more insecurity, constant conflict with the Palestinians, and frequent wars with other countries in the Middle East.

The perspective of a secular and democratic state in the region--a slogan put forward by the Palestine Liberation Organization in the period of its rise--points the way forward for Palestinians, Jews, and all working people of the region. Around such a slogan, they can unite against their common exploiters and class enemies: the Israeli rulers and their imperialist allies.

The immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces would be an elementary step towards ending the bloodshed, and a prerequisite for the formation of a contiguous and independent Palestinian territory--itself a necessary step in the struggle for a democratic, secular Palestine. Such moves would get the jackboot of the Israeli police and armed forces off the Palestinians' necks, and give them space and time to discuss their situation, to win new allies, including among the Israeli people, and to organize the next steps in their fight.
 
 
Related article:
Preparing war, Israel demonizes Palestinians  
 
 
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