Or why it is time for worldwide general strikes for Palestine
Article by Medina Avdagić (Gunić), Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), 01 February 2024, www.thecommunists.net
The ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 26 January 2024 was historic in many ways. [1] The motion of South Africa to declare the ongoing murder of the Palestinians in Gaza a genocide (respectively an attempted genocide) by Apartheid State Israel was in fact confirmed by the read-out summary, which Judge Joan E. Donoghue presented. She took the time to explain those allegations argued by South Africa which have been taken as the foundation for the rule, repeating the obvious indicators of the ongoing genocide. Based on the global popular interest in a just sentence against Israel, the ruling was read out in the most simple and understandable way possible for bourgeois jurisdiction. At the same time, thousands of activists rallied outside the court, waving Palestinian flags and raised slogans for a ceasefire.
It is the very first time that the ICJ has ruled against Israel. It is furthermore the very first time that an institution dominated by Western imperialism has officially indicated the possibility of genocide against our Palestinian brothers and sisters. Moreso, they reached the conclusion on a provisional base after a few weeks. The court’s decision is a victory to the solidarity movement for Palestine, but a limited one. It is neither an effective way to stop the war nor will it prevent anything, especially not genocide. Just look on what happened to the Bosnian people to understand the impotence of ICJ rulings.
The impotence of imperialist protection against genocide
A migrant from Bosnia and Herzegovina myself, the ruling on provisional protective measures is well known to me as there was also such a court decision by the ICJ in April and September 1993 during the slaughter of the Bosnian people by Serbia in the war from 1992 to 1995. The little power that such a ruling has was proven in 1995, when the massacre of Srebrenica was committed by Serbian chauvinists – the biggest massacre in Europe since the end of World War II. Moreso, the massacre of Srebrenica was shielded and even indirectly supported by UN blue helmets. The limitations of the victory for the Palestinian cause are more than painfully clear.
However, the story does not end here. Only one day after the ICJ ruling, the government of the United States, the most loyal backer of Zionists chauvinism and Apartheid, started a smear campaign against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) like never before.
It started with an unproven allegation that 12 employees of the UNRWA have participated on the attacks of 7 October 2023 which were led by Hamas. Immediately, like the loyal foot soldiers they are, not only have the United States stopped their payments to the UNRWA but also Britain, Australia, Japan, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Italy and Austria. Like a bloodhound on a promising track, those deeply loyal Zionist backers of Western imperialism have now followed this promising strategy to minimize, distract, camouflage and in the end completely lever out the message send out by the ICJ. [2] Now, those consummate hypocrites are accusing the UNRWA that even 10% of their staff are organized supporters of Hamas. [3] But it does not end here.
Israel, this inhuman and genocidal butcher of the Palestinian people claims that at least 190 UNRWA members are active fighters of Hamas respectively Islamic Jihad. [4] At this point it is safe to say that further claims and scandals will be fabricated in the next days or even hours.
Manoeuvres of Western imperialist powers
The manoeuvre of the imperialists is so crystal-clear as it is primitive. First, they want to turn the wheel around and send the message to the global public that even when their own organs (like the ICJ) have to admit the atrocities against the Palestinians, the Western imperialist propaganda machinery is ready to clean up the mess. Like a Tasmanian devil, they are hysterically hissing at the face of the oppressed worldwide: Look here, we (still) have all the power, we control everything including what you are allowed to know, even allowed to think – don’t dare you believe anything else!
Second, they are obeying to the wish of their friend Israel who was clearly offended by the rule of the ICJ. To quote Israeli’s security minister on the decision of the International Court of Justice: “Hague Shmague”. [5] Israel Katz, Minister of Foreign Affairs, even stated: “We have been warning for years: @UNRWA perpetuates the refugee issue, obstructs peace, and serves as a civilian arm of Hamas in Gaza. (…) Under my leadership, the @IsraelMFA aims to promoting a policy ensuring that @UNRWA will not be a part of the day after, addressing other contributing factors. We will work to garner bipartisan support in the US, the European Union, and other nations globally for this policy aimed at halting UNRWA’s activities in Gaza.” [6] Clearly, the formulation of the refugee issue being perpetuated shows that Israel’s hatred against the UNRWA is based on the latter’s assistance of keeping Palestinians alive in Gaza, making it more difficult for the Apartheid state to conduct another Nakba.
Third, not only do the Western imperialists want to stand by their allied Apartheid state, but they are also happy to cut the already very limited financial support to the Palestinian civilians. Even when Western propaganda claim that they do everything possible to protect civilians in Gaza, the truth is that they only oppose a Nakba because of fear that it might create too much of a turmoil in the Middle East. There is no moral or humanitarian motif, and how could it be?! After all, it was Western imperialism that financed and actively orchestrated the first Nakba to begin with.
Finally, cutting the UNRWA funds immediately after the ICJ decision also sends a message from the imperialist Western governments to the international imperialist structures (first and foremost the United Nations) not to forget which wing of the ruling class truly holds the power. The Biden Administration and the EU governments (as well as the Kishida Administration and the Canadian government) are reminding the United Nations and all other affiliated imperialist organs that they are nothing but symbolic structures, empty shells only existing to create the aura of bourgeois democracy on a global scale. Especially attacking the UNRWA only 24 hours after the ICJ rule is a deliberate decision to let no doubts cast on this message.
Support the defence of Gaza by any means necessary
Revolutionaries must take a clear stand in this situation. Our understanding of UNRWA funds follows a similar logic to our understanding of deliveries of weapons to just resistance struggle. Even when material goods are delivered by imperialist countries respectively their organs, be it humanitarian aid, be it weapons, revolutionaries support utilizing those goods for the just cause (in this case the Palestinian liberation). This does not mean to rely on help or support of imperialists and especially not to nurture any illusions in them. Quite the opposite, any just liberation movement is inextricably linked with anti-imperialism.
We therefore defend attempts to keep the UNRWA funds flowing like the calls of UN staffers against Zionist attacks. However, we do not call upon the mercy of imperialists. Instead, it is the task of the international Palestinian movement to organize rallies and strikes, up to a general strike for Palestine to force the governments to break all relations with Israel. In addition, the labour movement worldwide has not only to organize respectively support the boycott campaign against Israel but also a campaign for funds for Palestine – both humanitarian aid and weapon deliveries.
Powerful (general) strikes and boycotts include both industrial and transport workers stopping deliveries to Israel and redistributing them to Gaza. For workers in imperialist countries, it also means to fight against the enemy at home. Last but not least, it means to fight for a single state from the River to the Sea – a red Palestine that becomes home again for all Palestinians who want to come back to their mother country and all Jews who are willing to give up the privileges that the Apartheid state offered them. This would be a state based on equality and freedom for all.
[1] Readers of this article are recommended to also have a look on the analysis by my comrades from the RCIT: Michael Pröbsting: Heaven Helps Those Who Help Themselves. On the ICJ ruling on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. By Michael Pröbsting, 27 January 2024, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/on-the-icj-ruling-on-south-africa-s-genocide-case-against-israel/ Yossi Schwartz: Critical support for the injunction of the ICJ, 26 January 2024, https://the-isleague.com/critical-support-for-the-injunction-of-the-icj/
[2] Sophie Tanno, Hira Humayun, Richard Roth and Heather Chen: What we know about Israel’s allegations against UN staffers in Gaza, CNN, January 28, 2024, https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/27/middleeast/unrwa-israel-hamas-october-7-allegations-intl/index.html
[3] See the recent article of the Wall Street Journal: Intelligence: Carrie Keller-Lynn and David Luhnow: Reveals Details of U.N. Agency Staff’s Links to Oct. 7 Attack. Around 10% of Palestinian aid agency’s 12,000 staff in Gaza have links to militants, according to intelligence dossier. January 29, 2024, https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/at-least-12-u-n-agency-employees-involved-in-oct-7-attacks-intelligence-reports-say-a7de8f36
[4] Al Jazeera: Israeli intelligence accuses UNRWA staff of kidnap, seizing body. Israeli intelligence dossier alleges that a dozen UN agency employees were involved in the October 7 attack on Israel, 29 January 2024, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/29/israeli-intelligence-accuses-unrwa-staff-of-kidnap-seizing-body
[5] X (formerly known as Twitter) account of Ben Gvir, 26 January 2024 at 1:53pm, https://twitter.com/itamarbengvir/status/1750864446807794046
[6] X (formerly known as Twitter) account of Israel Katz, 27 January 2024, at 9:01am, https://twitter.com/Israel_katz/status/1751153470617379008