Union for the Politics of the Poor (PPRM) Statement
- January 3, 2009
By Zely Ariane
In July 2008, Barrack Obama, now the United State’s
new president elect said: “If someone launches a
rocket at my home while my two sons are sleeping,
then I would make every effort to put an end to
them, and I hope that the Israeli people would also
do the same” (www.Solidarity-US.org).
On December 27, Obama’s hopes were realised through
an Israeli air attack that totally obliterated Gaza
and killed at least 280 people. Without pause, the
every effort referred to by Obama was demonstrated
by Israeli troops with the fruits of their success
being at least 429 dead and 2,000 others wounded.
United Nations representatives added that more than
half of those killed were civilians, while there
were at least four who died on the Israeli side
(Detik.com). Obama, up until this was written, has
failed to utter a single word.
It is most unfortunate that Justice and Prosperity
Party (PKS) general chairperson Tiffatul Sembiring
has put his hopes in Obama (while deriding George
Bush) during a PKS solidarity action for Palestine
not long ago in Jakarta. Such hopes are truly
misplaced.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni meanwhile, has
of late been appearing on television, looking happy
and sharing jokes with Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak. Moreover, according to the New York Times,
Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit,
considers the attacks as a way of forcing Hamas to
renew its cease-fire with Israel (www.Solidarity-
US.org). Not very different from Bush’s views when
he stated that Hamas is culprit behind all of the
problems that are befalling Palestine at the moment,
and resulted in Israel firing its missiles
(www.news.bbc.co.uk).
It was not surprising therefore when Egypt then
intentionally closed its borders to the waves of
Palestinian refugees and international aid. It was
befitting also that the Mubarak government then
became the target of solidarity actions by Egyptian
people supporting Palestine, as were the US and
Israel who have been the targets of ordinary
people’s anger in their own countries and throughout
the world, people who do not accept these brutal
attacks by Israel.
Why the renewed attacks?
A journalist form the Jakarta daily Kompas in an
interview with Metro TV recently said that the
Israeli attacks are necessary for the ruling party,
Kadima, under the leadership of Tzipi Livni, to
increase their the popularity of the party at home
that is under threat of being defeated by the Likud
Party in the general elections next February. I also
believe that these attacks, sooner or later, had to
be carried out by Israel, because they were have
also been unable to subdue Hamas. (Are the attacks
also a solution to the economic crisis currently
hitting the world? Further analysis is of course
needed on this conclusion.)
The Israeli attacks also cannot be separated from
the tough and difficult Palestine (Hamas)-Israel
peace process that has been going on for the last
two-an-a-half years or so (following Israel’s last
attack during Hot Season of Rain operation on June
28, 2006). Moreover the Fatah group – a moderate
group that lost the Palestinian elections in 2006
and has compromised extensively with Israel and the
US – has continued to “disrupt” Hamas’ forces
domestically.
For as long as the Palestinian people remain
divided, are unable to unite in a struggle to
liberate themselves from Israeli occupation and US
imperialism, so will Israeli intervention be even
easier, including the annexation of more and more
Palestinian territory.
Unite, launch a third Intifada
The lack of any moves by the UN Security Council (UN
General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon was only able to
complain in his own name) and the Arab League when
confronted by a rejection of peace by the US
capitalist monster and its ally, Israel, is evidence
that both of these institutions of democracy can no
longer be relied upon. It is impossible for the UN
Security Council to oppose the strongest holder of
the veto vote, namely the US.
It is because of this therefore, that the only road
for the Palestinian people is to unite their forces
and launch a third Intifada. Such an Intifada would
not be a movement against Jews, because millions of
Jewish working people in Israel have also fallen
victim to the brutality of the Israeli government.
The Israeli working class has also been forced to
pay with its lives for a war that they have never
wanted.
According to the WAC-MAAN website – an Israeli
independent trade union – Israel’s claim that the
attack on Gaza is to protect its population in the
southern regions is a lie. This is because the
majority of the populations in the region are poor
working class people who have to travel up to 200
kilometers to find bosses who are willing to employ
them. As a consequence of the discriminative
policies of the Israeli government, some 1.2 million
Arab-Israeli people live below the poverty line and
without work. It is these social groups that are
currently opposing Israel’s attacks on Palestine
that there are potential allies for an third
Intifada.
A third Intifada would still be aimed at the
Palestinian liberation from Israeli occupation and
for it to become an independent state (the extent of
the struggle should be decided upon through a
democratic mechanism that involves all Palestinian
people). This struggle would, at the same time,
require opposition to US imperialism, because a free
Palestinian state cannot exist without opposition to
US imperialism in the Middle East, including its
Arab allies.
In order for this to happen, Hamas, and the
Palestinian people must broaden their allies in the
struggle. Not just allies among those who embrace
the Islamic religion, but all of those people who
have been the victims of and are currently opposing
US imperialism across the world.
The Israeli working people, who oppose their
government’s policy of war, are the allies of the
Palestinian people. The people of Iran and Lebanon,
who also oppose US domination, are allies in the
struggle, along with those in the southern parts of
the globe, the Venezuelan and Cuban people – two
Socialist countries that have openly declared their
support for Palestinian independence and are
currently providing an alternative outside of the
model of US imperialism.
[Zely Ariane is the head of the Education and
Propaganda Department and a member of the Union for
the Politics of the Poor (PPRM) National Executive
Committee. Translated by James Balowski.]
- January 3, 2009
By Zely Ariane
In July 2008, Barrack Obama, now the United State’s
new president elect said: “If someone launches a
rocket at my home while my two sons are sleeping,
then I would make every effort to put an end to
them, and I hope that the Israeli people would also
do the same” (www.Solidarity-US.org).
On December 27, Obama’s hopes were realised through
an Israeli air attack that totally obliterated Gaza
and killed at least 280 people. Without pause, the
every effort referred to by Obama was demonstrated
by Israeli troops with the fruits of their success
being at least 429 dead and 2,000 others wounded.
United Nations representatives added that more than
half of those killed were civilians, while there
were at least four who died on the Israeli side
(Detik.com). Obama, up until this was written, has
failed to utter a single word.
It is most unfortunate that Justice and Prosperity
Party (PKS) general chairperson Tiffatul Sembiring
has put his hopes in Obama (while deriding George
Bush) during a PKS solidarity action for Palestine
not long ago in Jakarta. Such hopes are truly
misplaced.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni meanwhile, has
of late been appearing on television, looking happy
and sharing jokes with Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak. Moreover, according to the New York Times,
Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit,
considers the attacks as a way of forcing Hamas to
renew its cease-fire with Israel (www.Solidarity-
US.org). Not very different from Bush’s views when
he stated that Hamas is culprit behind all of the
problems that are befalling Palestine at the moment,
and resulted in Israel firing its missiles
(www.news.bbc.co.uk).
It was not surprising therefore when Egypt then
intentionally closed its borders to the waves of
Palestinian refugees and international aid. It was
befitting also that the Mubarak government then
became the target of solidarity actions by Egyptian
people supporting Palestine, as were the US and
Israel who have been the targets of ordinary
people’s anger in their own countries and throughout
the world, people who do not accept these brutal
attacks by Israel.
Why the renewed attacks?
A journalist form the Jakarta daily Kompas in an
interview with Metro TV recently said that the
Israeli attacks are necessary for the ruling party,
Kadima, under the leadership of Tzipi Livni, to
increase their the popularity of the party at home
that is under threat of being defeated by the Likud
Party in the general elections next February. I also
believe that these attacks, sooner or later, had to
be carried out by Israel, because they were have
also been unable to subdue Hamas. (Are the attacks
also a solution to the economic crisis currently
hitting the world? Further analysis is of course
needed on this conclusion.)
The Israeli attacks also cannot be separated from
the tough and difficult Palestine (Hamas)-Israel
peace process that has been going on for the last
two-an-a-half years or so (following Israel’s last
attack during Hot Season of Rain operation on June
28, 2006). Moreover the Fatah group – a moderate
group that lost the Palestinian elections in 2006
and has compromised extensively with Israel and the
US – has continued to “disrupt” Hamas’ forces
domestically.
For as long as the Palestinian people remain
divided, are unable to unite in a struggle to
liberate themselves from Israeli occupation and US
imperialism, so will Israeli intervention be even
easier, including the annexation of more and more
Palestinian territory.
Unite, launch a third Intifada
The lack of any moves by the UN Security Council (UN
General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon was only able to
complain in his own name) and the Arab League when
confronted by a rejection of peace by the US
capitalist monster and its ally, Israel, is evidence
that both of these institutions of democracy can no
longer be relied upon. It is impossible for the UN
Security Council to oppose the strongest holder of
the veto vote, namely the US.
It is because of this therefore, that the only road
for the Palestinian people is to unite their forces
and launch a third Intifada. Such an Intifada would
not be a movement against Jews, because millions of
Jewish working people in Israel have also fallen
victim to the brutality of the Israeli government.
The Israeli working class has also been forced to
pay with its lives for a war that they have never
wanted.
According to the WAC-MAAN website – an Israeli
independent trade union – Israel’s claim that the
attack on Gaza is to protect its population in the
southern regions is a lie. This is because the
majority of the populations in the region are poor
working class people who have to travel up to 200
kilometers to find bosses who are willing to employ
them. As a consequence of the discriminative
policies of the Israeli government, some 1.2 million
Arab-Israeli people live below the poverty line and
without work. It is these social groups that are
currently opposing Israel’s attacks on Palestine
that there are potential allies for an third
Intifada.
A third Intifada would still be aimed at the
Palestinian liberation from Israeli occupation and
for it to become an independent state (the extent of
the struggle should be decided upon through a
democratic mechanism that involves all Palestinian
people). This struggle would, at the same time,
require opposition to US imperialism, because a free
Palestinian state cannot exist without opposition to
US imperialism in the Middle East, including its
Arab allies.
In order for this to happen, Hamas, and the
Palestinian people must broaden their allies in the
struggle. Not just allies among those who embrace
the Islamic religion, but all of those people who
have been the victims of and are currently opposing
US imperialism across the world.
The Israeli working people, who oppose their
government’s policy of war, are the allies of the
Palestinian people. The people of Iran and Lebanon,
who also oppose US domination, are allies in the
struggle, along with those in the southern parts of
the globe, the Venezuelan and Cuban people – two
Socialist countries that have openly declared their
support for Palestinian independence and are
currently providing an alternative outside of the
model of US imperialism.
[Zely Ariane is the head of the Education and
Propaganda Department and a member of the Union for
the Politics of the Poor (PPRM) National Executive
Committee. Translated by James Balowski.]
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