The transformation of the Zionist War on Gaza into an Israeli-American war against Arab peoples brings the region as well as the world closer to revolutionary explosions
By Michael Pröbsting, Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), 1 February 2024, www.thecommunists.net
Contents
The steadfastness of the heroic Palestinian resistance
The Red Sea under control of the “goat herders in Yemen”
Lebanon and Iraq: On the verge of escalation
The death agony of the Zionist state
Towards a revolutionary situation in the Middle East
History is accelerating: what are the global consequences?
The tasks of revolutionaries
* * * * *
The steadfastness of the heroic Palestinian resistance
Day by day, the Middle East comes closer to a full-blown regional war between the imperialist warlords – Israel and the U.S. – and the Palestinian and other Arab resistance forces. In a recently published RCIT statement, we noted that one “can therefore speak about the transformation of the conflict from a Zionist War on Gaza to an Israeli-American War against Arab peoples.” [1]
The most important element in this chain of conflicts is, of course, the ongoing war in Gaza. This is an unprecedented war resembling the biblical duel between David and Goliath. The Israeli army, which has been considered as the fourth-strongest army in the world, invaded Gaza in October last year in order to expel the Palestinian population and to exterminate the resistance forces.
These resistance forces represent a coalition of petty-bourgeois Islamist (mainly Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad), nationalist (mainly the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and the Popular Resistance Committee) as well as left-wing organisations (mainly the Popular respectively the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine). These organisations together have no more than several ten thousand lightly armed fighters, usually with joggers but without any protective gear. And according to video footage, a number of these fighters possess only sandals.
They are clearly outnumbered by the Israeli army which mobilised about half a million soldiers for this war, possesses high-tech air force, navy, tanks, artillery, satellites, surveillance technologies as well as about 200 nuclear bombs.
However, despite its numerically and technologically superiority, Israel – after more than 115 days of war – has only succeeded in slaughtering tens of thousands of civilians, destroying most of the buildings in Gaza and to make nearly all of the 2.3 million Palestinians refugees. Sure, the Zionists have also managed to kill several thousand resistance fighters. But they managed to conquer not more than half of Gaza until now, despite the fact that this strip is geographically smaller than the city of Vienna or Berlin. Not only this, contrary to their bragging announcements in early December of having “degraded” or even “destroyed” Hamas, [2] the armed resistance is “continuing to conduct attacks against Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip as they infiltrate previously cleared areas”, as the Institute for the Study of War – a U.S. professional military publication with strong pro-Israel leanings – stated with regret in its latest report. [3]
Initially, the Netanyahu government thought that the war would last only for a few weeks or about three months or so. Now Israeli minister Benny Gantz – a member of the war cabinet – says that “this war could last a year, ten years, or even an entire generation”! [4]
Clearly, the Zionists are having a tough time with the steadfastness of the heroic Palestinian resistance!
Revolutionaries unconditionally support these resistance forces defending their homeland against overpowering invading forces! [5]
The Red Sea under control of the “goat herders in Yemen”
The second most important hotspot of this evolving Israeli-American war is the Red Sea. As we did already point out in past statements, the courageous solidarity actions of Ansar Allah (popularly known as Houthis) – which is the de facto government of Yemen as it controls most of the populous regions – against Israeli-linked cargo ships have proven to be highly effective. This is even more the case because the Houthis have started – after the Western powers sent their navy to the Red Sea – to attack also U.S. and British cargo and war ships. [6]
These strikes which have damaged several ships (plus one cargo vessel being hijacked by the Houthis) without injuring anyone. However, the U.S. and Britain – staunch supporters of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza – not only sent warships to the Red Sea but also launched a number of military strikes against Houthis, resulting in a number of deaths.
Irrespective of these shameful attacks of Western imperialists, the solidarity actions of Ansar Allah are continuing to cause severe damage to Israel’s economy as well as to world trade as such. According to the Israeli outlet Calcalist, Israel’s maritime trade in the Red Sea has substantially decreased and revenues of Israel’s port of Eilat dropped by more than 80%. [7] Since Asia accounts for 27% of Israel’s imports – which transit mainly via the Red Sea – it is evident that the blockade of Ansar Allah has major repercussions for Israel’s economy. [8]
These actions have also damaged the capitalist world economy which is already in the midst of a Great Depression since late 2019. The Suez Canal resp. the Red Sea is a vital link for international shipping and accounts for between 12-15% of global trade and about 20% of container trade. About 30% of the maritime transportation of crude oil and 20% of the maritime transportation of liquefied gas pass through the strait. As a group of bourgeois economists noted: “So any partial closure will lead to a significant disruption to the world market”. The UNCTAD’s head of trade logistics, Jan Hoffmann, reports that weekly container ship transits have already plummeted by 67%. [9]
As a consequence, four of the five biggest shipping companies have decided to pause their operations through the Red Sea. An increasing number of companies have stopped doing business with Israel and many ships entering the Red Sea are using the phrase “We have no relation to Israel” on automatic identification systems to avoid attacks from the Houthis.
Such shipping disruptions are already hitting global manufacturing. Europe, in particular, experiences major repercussions since 40% of its trade with Asia and the Middle East passes through the Red Sea – including 40% of Europe’s imported clothes and 50% of shoes which take this route.
As a result, the cost of shipping a standard 40-foot container from Asia to northern Europe has surged from less than $1,500 in mid-December to nearly $5,500. Getting Asian cargoes to the Mediterranean is even costlier: almost $6,800, up from $2,400 in mid-December. [10]
According to Japan’s Nikkei – the world’s largest financial newspaper – major car producers in Europe have been forced to suspend some production due to a shortage of components after many ships were rerouted around the southern tip of Africa (around 70% of components in the European automotive sector imported from Asia come through the Red Sea). Among these corporations are Tesla, Volvo Car as well as Suzuki Motor. [11]
The U.S./UK air strikes against Ansar Allah have deterred them not in the least. Quite the opposite, their solidarity actions with the heroic Palestinian people have massively increased the Houthis popularity – both in Yemen as well as in the Arab and Muslim world.
Mohamed al-Atifi, Defense Minister of Yemen’s armed forces, stressed that the Houthis are ready for a “long-term confrontation” with the Western imperialist. “We are prepared for a long-term confrontation with the forces of tyranny. The Americans, the British, and those who coordinated with them must realize the power of the sovereign Yemeni decision and that there is no debate or dispute over it.” [12]
The arrogant Western imperialists could not imagine that the Houthis are able to hurt them so easily and painfully. U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican bumpkin from Arkansas, derided the Houthis as “a bunch of goat herders in Yemen”. [13] Indeed, Yankee, the “goat herders” are kicking your ass pretty good!
Naturally, revolutionaries fully support these solidarity actions of Ansar Allah against Israel and their Western backers.
Lebanon and Iraq: On the verge of escalation
Until now, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has remained within certain boundaries. There are regular clashes at Israel’s northern front but these have not become a full-blown war. However, the conflict has substantially escalated in the last two weeks as Israel targeted and killed two high-ranking commanders of the Lebanese militia.
A particular important factor for this recent escalation is the domestic crisis of the Netanyahu government. It is under enormous pressure from all sides. The families of the Israeli hostages are staging increasingly aggressive protests with support of the political opposition parties. In addition, the (semi-)fascist forces within his government are pushing Netanyahu to go for a long-term conquest of Gaza with the goal of rebuilding the Zionist settlements in the strip. At the same time, Israel’s allies in the U.S. and Europe – on which the Zionist state totally depends economically and military – push more and more for an end of the Gaza War as they consider it as unwinnable.
Trapped in this web of contradictory interests, Netanyahu – an experienced politician – knows that he can only stay in power as long as he keeps the war going. He therefore wants not only to continue the genocidal war in Gaza but even considers the opening of a second front in the north. His Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said recently that Israeli soldiers will be moved from Gaza and redeployed to the northern border with Lebanon. “They will very soon go into action… so the forces in the north are reinforced.” Earlier this month, Israel’s army chief of staff Herzi Halevi said the likelihood of a war breaking out in the north in the coming months was “much higher than it was in the past”. [14]
At the same time, U.S. forces are facing an increasing number of attacks on their military bases in Iraq and Syria by Iraqi militias which protest against Washington’s support for the genocide in Gaza. Until now, American troops and their bases have drawn more than 150 missile and drone attacks. Scores of U.S. personnel have received minor injuries including traumatic brain injuries during the attacks. In response, the U.S. killed a commander of the Harakat al Nujaba group. This has intensified Iraq’s opposition to the presence of U.S. troops in the country and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani promptly announced that his government would end the presence of American troops in Iraq and close all US military bases. [15]
On 28 January, the Iraqi militias managed to launch a particularly successful drone attack on a U.S. military base on the Jordanian-Syrian border which killed three US soldiers and injured more than 40. This attack has provoked outrage among U.S. politicians. President Joe Biden has vowed to “respond” and several US Senators called for direct strikes on Iran. Texas senator John Cornyn wrote on X: “Target Tehran.” And South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham – a highly influential figure in the Republican establishment – posted on X: “Hit Iran now. Hit them hard”. [16]
The White House is in a lose-lose situation. If it responds “weak” it will be merciless denounced by the Republican opposition and loses authority among its allies. If it hits back hard it risks becoming involved in a full-blown regional war. This would be a disaster for Biden as he faces election this year and one of his key promises was to end America’s involvement in “endless wars in the Middle East”. Furthermore, such involvement would be diametrically opposed to Washington’s long-term interests of focusing on a confrontation with its most important imperialist rival – China. [17]
The death agony of the Zionist state
In summary, Israel and the Western imperialists are in a cul-de-sac. They seem to fail defeating neither Hamas nor the Houthis or other resistance forces. But they also can not retreat since a ceasefire now would represent a huge victory for the Palestinian resistance as well as all forces supporting them. It would be a major blow for Israel – most likely resulting in a collapse of the Netanyahu government and the opening a huge domestic crisis. Likewise, it would substantially weaken American and European influence in the Middle East.
At the same time, massive pressure from all sides is increasing. It is obvious that global sympathy is shifting towards the Palestinian people and away from the Zionist state. This is visible not only in the growing strength of the pro-Palestine solidarity mass movement around the globe but also in the humiliating defeats for Israel and the U.S. in votes at the UN General Assembly about a ceasefire as well as the recent ruling of the International Court of Justice on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. [18]
Naturally, it is not possible to foresee the concrete developments in the near future. However, it seems likely to us that the war – with its ups and downs, temporary ceasefires, low-intensity warfare or full-blown military confrontation – will continue for some time in one way or another.
Such a development will inevitable destabilise the whole Middle East and, at least to a certain degree, also the imperialist world order. Israel is in the midst of the longest war in its history which is a gigantic burden on its economy. The country is deeply divided between the extreme right-wing resp. fascist (pro-)settlers forces and the liberals. They are united in their hatred for the Palestinians but split on the issue which kind of Zionist state they want to live in.
If Israel fails to achieve its war aims of annihilating Hamas, it will constitute the worst blow this settler state has ever suffered throughout its existence. It is a well-known truth that imperialist states which suffer defeat in a war often face (pre-)revolutionary crisis at home. Given the specific nature of Israel – it is not only an imperialist but also a settler state – things are more complicated. Here it might be a more realistic that, on one hand, the right-wing settlers radicalise even more and try to impose another Nakba in against the Arab population in Israel or in parts of the West Bank. The liberal Zionists, on the other hand, might tend to leave the country since it does no longer offer them their privileged life, and many can easily enter Western imperialist countries (or even have already a dual citizenship).
However, in such a situation of defeat it is also possible that a minority of Israeli workers might be open to reconsider their loyalty to the settler state. Such a situation could create circumstances in which it is possible to split such Jewish workers away from Zionism and to make them allies of the Palestinians and the Arab masses in the struggle against domination by Great Powers and monopolies. Needless to say, that socialists have to work towards such a development as it would hasten the downfall of Zionism and imperialism in the Middle East.
For all these reasons we strongly agree with our comrades in Israel / Occupied Palestine who rightly view the crisis of the Zionist state as existential and consider it as doubtful if this settler state can last for much more than a decade. [19]
Towards a revolutionary situation in the Middle East
Likewise, the Arab regimes are also facing a dangerous crisis. The popular masses are with Palestine and support the armed resistance led by Hamas. According to a recently published poll, 69% of Arabs stand with the people of Gaza and Hamas. A further 23% stand with Gazans but oppose Hamas. [20] In such a situation, the Arab regimes must be very careful in pursuing a policy of normalisation with Israel – for which the Western imperialists are pushing. Such a move would dramatically undermine the last remnants of the Arab leaders’ legitimacy in the eyes of the masses. It would rather represent a major factor in provoking a new wave of Arab Revolutions in the near future.
Of course, we are not in a position to make predication about the timescale of this looming revolutionary process. But it is beyond doubt that the Gaza War is the most important political event in the Middle East at least since the Iraq War in 2003 – an event which was followed by the Lebanon War in 2006, the four Gaza Wars from 2008/09 onwards and, finally, the wave of Arab Revolutions since 2011.
But the situation now is different from that in the 2000s or even the 2010s insofar that a) the geopolitical situation is very different today and b) the masses have already made the experience of the Arab Revolution.
In the 2000s, the global hegemony of U.S. imperialism was still unchallenged and, hence, it was still the dominating power in the Middle East. Today, this is no longer the case. Washington’s influence has substantially declined while that of its Eastern rivals has increased. China’s strategic partnership with Iran, its role in the reconciliation of Saudi Arabia and Iran, Russia’s role in Syria and Russia, Moscow’s coordination with Saudi Arabia and the UAE in circumventing Western sanctions or determining the oil price, Erdoğan’s careful balancing between the Western and Eastern powers – these are only a few examples of this development.
Washington’s decline has also been revealed in the Gaza War. Not only by its defeats at the UN General Assemblies and the ICJ but also by the embarrassing refusal of all European and Arab allies (except Britain) to send warships to the Red Sea when the U.S. asked them to participate in their Operation Prosperity Guardian. Several allies limited themselves either to send only a few naval officers – in some cases only a single one! – or to promise to send a warship in the future.
In other words, there is not a single power which dominates the Middle East today. The region is rather a place where several power rival for influence and where the masses have repeatedly revolted and put their mark on political developments.
In case of Israel’s failure to crush Hamas, we can expect a massive encouraging of the Palestinian and the Arab and Muslim masses to intensify their struggle against tyranny. The events on 7 October and the ongoing heroic struggle of the Palestinian resistance did already destroy the image of Israel’s “invincibility” and freed the Arab masses from fear from the Zionist monster. A full victory against Israel would dramatically accelerate this process! In such a situation, the negotiations between the Iraqi government and the U.S. about ending the presence of American troops in the country will be only the beginning!
This will put the Arab regimes all the more in a difficult situation as they can not “normalize” their relations with Israel without provoking the popular masses at home. Taking a hostile stance against the Zionist state, on the other hand, will keep the region is a pre- or semi-war situation with Israel and will also deteriorate their relations with the American and European imperialists. Such a highly instable and explosive situation – when Israel is regularly launching military strikes or even starting another war and, at the same, when the masses are passionately hating the Zionist monster and its Western backer – is prone to result in new liberation wars and revolutionary uprisings! This is why we think that the Middle East is heading towards a revolutionary situation.
Of course, it would be a mistake to exclude the possibility of an Israeli victory and a U.S.-led counterrevolutionary settlement of the “Palestine question” – with a Palestinian “mini-state” which would be a kind of Bantustan controlled by the Zionists and imperialists – resulting in a so-called “normalisation” process between the Arab countries and the settler state.
However, this would be only a superficially and short-term “solution”. Israel has created a new generation of traumatised Palestinians thirsting for revenge who are eager to wage war against the Zionist monster as soon as possible. It is impossible to imagine a long-term pacification of the situation in Palestine. Such an Israeli victory could neither destroy the idea of national liberation nor could it liquidate the armed resistance – it would rather transform Hamas and other resistance forces in Gaza from an army into a guerilla movement. More generally, one must bear in mind that the war has already taught the Arab masses to hate the Zionist and imperialist tyrants more than ever. A “normalization” imposed by Israel, the U.S. and Arab dictatorships would certainly not change this!
Hence, Arab regimes which pursue “normalisation” with Israel after its genocidal war in Gaza and against the unanimous opposition of their own population, will dramatically loose legitimacy and lay the foundation for revolutionary explosions in the not-so-distant future.
History is accelerating: what are the global consequences?
What are the possible global consequences of the evolving Israeli-American War in the Middle East? Again, we have to limit ourselves to outline several possible lines of development.
First, whatever will be the outcome of the war in the next months, it seems highly likely that the Western imperialists are massively losing influence – both globally as well as at home. Israel’s genocide in Gaza – with American weapons and money – is the final nail in the coffin of the Western concept of a “rule-based international order”. Of course, this was always a hypocritical ideological construct. However, this war has now absolutely confirmed this truth in the eyes of world public and one could see this in the UN votes on a ceasefire as well as the ICJ ruling.
This development will also embolden other nations which are directly or indirectly dominated by Western imperialists to stand up for their rights and to challenge the long-time rulers. We did already see such a rebellion in Niger only a few months ago which resulted in the expulsion of the French troops. [21] Other countries could follow this example.
Furthermore, it seems likely that the U.S. will further loose its global influence while the Eastern rivals will be able to strengthen their position. Hence, we can expect a further acceleration of the inter-imperialist rivalry.
Of course, no one should have any illusion that Russian [22] or Chinese imperialism [23] would be any better than the old Western hegemons. Just think about Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine, [24] his murderous wars in Chechnya and Syria [25] or China’s domestic dictatorship and the national oppression of the Uigurs in East-Turkestan (Xinjiang).
In addition, the successful blockade of the Red Sea and Iran’s grip of the Strait of Hormuz could have long-term consequences for the capitalist world economy and trade. We did already mention above the immediate effects which the solidarity actions of the Houthis have on global trade and production. This development is worsened by the fact that maritime trade in the Black Sea has suffered from the consequences of Putin’s war against the Ukraine. In addition, the Panama Canal, another key artery for global trade, is grappling with a severe drought as a result of capitalist-induced climate crisis. This has diminished water levels, resulting in a staggering 36% reduction in total transits over the past month compared to a year ago. [26]
Finally, we must not underestimate the consequences of the current war in the Middle East for the developments within the Western imperialist countries. As we just said, the above-mentioned consequences of the war for global trade will most likely result in an increase of inflation.
It will also make the ruling class in the U.S. and Europe even more aware of their military limitations in a period where wars are already taking place in different regions or might do so in the foreseeable future (e.g. Ukraine War, wars in the Middle East, tensions around Taiwan and the South China Sea). Hence, we can expect a dramatic program of armament in Western countries in the next years – something which Putin has already done since 2022.
A particularly important and encouraging phenomenon is that the Gaza War has resulted in the formation of an unprecedented solidarity movement with Palestine not only in the Arab and Muslim world but even in the Western imperialist heartlands. This movement is not only anti-war but also anti-imperialist.
It is particularly interesting that even in the heartland of Western imperialism, anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist views have become more popular. The very pro-imperialist and pro-Israel Wall Street Journal reported “Roughly half of Americans 18 to 24 years old think Hamas’s October attack was justified by grievances of the Palestinians, according to a Harvard Harris Poll.” [27]
Likewise, the Times of Israel reported in 2021 about another poll which found that 25% of US Jewish voters agree that “Israel is an apartheid state” and 22% agree that “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians.” (This poll was already before the current Gaza War!) It also found that 20% of US Jewish voters under 40 years agree with the statement “Israel doesn’t have a right to exist.” [28]
These are important developments not only because they undermine the Western efforts to aid the Zionist massacre in Gaza and, at the same time, break up the domination of Zionism amongst Jews. They also help to revitalise and to internationalise the workers movement and the left in the Western countries themselves. As we did already point out repeatedly, the workers movement and the left have been strongly affected – particularly since 1945 – by the conditions of the Western domination of the capitalist world and their privileged situation, compared with the rest of the world. These developments have strengthened the position of the reformist labour bureaucracy and their social base – the labour aristocracy.
These forces have imposed a policy and an ideological outlook characterised by the separation of these layers (and their appendage among the so-called “left”) from the lower strata of the working class in the imperialist countries as well we the popular masses in the semi-colonies. The RCIT has called this phenomenon as aristocratism. [29]
This negative development has opened space for the devastating and demoralising influence of all kinds of (petty-)bourgeois ideologies in the workers movement and the left – from left-liberalism and social-democratism to Post-Modernism and Islamophobia. The pro-Palestine solidarity movement will be an important antidote against such deeply-rooted aristocratism in the workers movement and the left in the imperialist countries. Revolutionaries can and must link to this new experience of thousands of new activists.
Furthermore, the huge pro-Palestine solidarity movement is terrifying the ruling class in Western countries, and this has resulted in an unprecedented wave of attacks on democratic rights and attempts to criminalise Anti-Zionist views. (For example, the author of these lines is currently under investigation for “suspicion of incitement to commit terrorist offenses” because of the RCIT’s support for the Palestinian liberation struggle.) [30] In such a situation, the defence of fundamental democratic rights becomes not only important in itself but is also a key element of anti-imperialist activities in these countries.
We mentioned above the possible consequences of an Israeli defeat for the settler state. Since the U.S. and Western Europe are the most important allies of Israel and since the ruling class in these countries has made support of Zionism a key feature of its political and ideological identity in the current period (also in order to put down Muslim migrants and anti-imperialist activists), it is impossible that such a defeat of Israel would be without consequences for the Western class societies.
Naturally, it is difficult to predict concrete developments. But what seems most likely to us is a further political polarisation. An Israeli defeat will certainly embolden migrants and the pro-Palestine solidarity movement and might push sectors of the workers movement to the left. In any case, it will bolster the cause of anti-imperialism. At the same time, it might also strengthen the extreme right-wing racist and pro-Zionist forces. An Israeli victory could influence the relation of forces within this development but would likely not alter the fundamental process of polarisation.
If we take all the above-mentioned developments together – the consequences for the world economy, for the relations between the Great Powers as well as between the Western powers and the oppressed nations, the death agony of the Zionist state, the highly explosive nature of the situation in the Middle East which might result in new wars and revolutions, the process of armament and political polarisation in the U.S. and Western Europe, etc. – it is clear that they could open a new chapter in the world situation. The combination of these developments means that an Israeli defeat – which would be also an indirect defeat for the Western powers – could result in a revolutionary crisis in individual countries or even globally. In other words, it could open a global revolutionary situation.
To put it another way, faced with the ever-escalating aggression of the Zionist state and its Western backers, history will say: “Give me war and I give you revolution”!
The tasks of revolutionaries
As we are heading towards an explosive world situation, it is all the more crucial for revolutionaries to join forces in creating a leadership which is up to the tasks of the struggles. It is a fact that authentic revolutionaries today constitute only a small minority and that the mass struggles are led by petty-bourgeois Islamist, nationalist or reformist forces. However, this is no reason to despair but rather to intensify the efforts of advancing the construction of a Revolutionary World Party.
The most important precondition for close collaboration between revolutionaries is the elaboration of a platform for the main tasks of the class struggles today. This means concretely to have broad agreement about the following tactics.
Unconditional support for the struggle of the Palestinian resistance and for all other pro-Palestinian forces (like the Houthis in Yemen) – without lending political support to their leadership.
Expel the U.S.-led naval force from the Red Sea! Close all imperialist military bases in the Middle East.
For a global boycott movement against the Terror and Apartheid state Israel.
No to the repression of pro-Palestine and anti-Zionist views. Defence of democratic rights of assembly and free speech.
Revolutionary destruction of the Zionist state. For a single secular and democratic Palestinian state from the river to the sea which would allow the Palestinian refugees to return, and which would grant minority rights to the Jewish population. Such a Palestinian state should be a workers and fellahin republic within a socialist federation of the Middle East.
Renew the Arab Revolution to bring down the pro-imperialist regimes and to open a process of permanent revolution in the region.
Support the ongoing struggle of Syrian people against the tyranny of Assad and his reactionary backers in Moscow and Teheran!
No support for any imperialist Great Power (U.S., China, Russia, Western Europe, Japan) – for revolutionary defeatism in any conflict between them.
Strengthen the workers movement in the imperialist countries by combining the opposition against domestic capitalists with a platform of consistent anti-imperialism. This means to stand in solidarity with the victims of imperialist aggression (Palestine, Yemen, Ukraine, etc.) and to support their resistance. It equally means to confront racism, Zionism and Islamophobia at home and to support the struggles of migrants and national minorities (the struggles of the Black people, of the national minorities in Russia’s Caucasus and Central Asia, in Catalonia, etc.)
Naturally, such a tactical platform must be combined with a transitional program for socialist revolution in the current period. [31] However, the best program for socialism is worthless if it is not situated in the conditions of the global class struggle of today. Hence, we propose such a platform to all revolutionaries in the Middle East and globally in order to advance the construction of a Revolutionary World Party – the most important task in the current historic period!
[1] RCIT: From Zionist War on Gaza to Israeli-American War against Arab Peoples. Stop the genocide of the Palestinian people! Defeat Israel! Kick the US/UK forces out of the Middle East! Victory to the resistance! 16 January 2024, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/from-zionist-war-on-gaza-to-israeli-american-war-against-arab-peoples/
[2] Michael Pröbsting: “Hamas is on the Verge of Dissolution “: The Delusional Israeli Government. Facts versus fantasy in the Gaza War, 12 December 2023, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/hamas-is-on-the-verge-of-dissolution-the-delusional-israeli-government/
[3] Institute for the Study of War: Iran Update, January 29, 2024
[4] Benny Gantz to residents of southern Israel: The war could last an entire generation, Israel National News, 29 January 2024, https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/384335
[5] RCIT: “This is the Time to Expel the Occupiers!” Support the Heroic Palestinian Resistance! Defeat Israel! 7 October 2023, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/fifth-gaza-war-support-the-heroic-palestinian-resistance/. We refer readers to a special page on our website where all RCIT documents on the 2023 Gaza War are compiled, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/compilation-of-articles-on-the-gaza-uprising-2023/.
[6] The RCIT has published the following statements and articles on the Houthis solidarity actions: Imperialist EU to Send Warships to Red Sea to Fight the Houthis. US, UK and European forces – out of the Middle East! Defeat Israel! Support the Palestinian and Yemeni resistance! 18 January 2024, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/imperialist-eu-to-send-warships-to-red-sea-to-fight-the-houthis/; From Zionist War on Gaza to Israeli-American War against Arab Peoples. Stop the genocide of the Palestinian people! Defeat Israel! Kick the US/UK forces out of the Middle East! Victory to the resistance! 16 January 2024, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/from-zionist-war-on-gaza-to-israeli-american-war-against-arab-peoples/; UN Security Council Legitimizes US-Led Naval Force in Red Sea to Attack the Houthis, 10 January 2024, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/un-security-council-legitimizes-us-led-naval-force-in-red-sea-to-attack-the-houthis/; U.S & Allies Send Naval Force to Red Sea to Support Terrorist Israel against Houthis, 18 December 2023, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/u-s-allies-send-naval-force-to-red-sea-to-support-terrorist-israel-against-houthis/; Gaza War: The Houthis Have Opened the Second Front. Major international shipping companies stop their operations through the Red Sea after a series of attacks by the Yemeni rebels, 16 December 2023, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/gaza-war-the-houthis-have-opened-the-second-front/; Gaza War: The Houthis and the Looming Imperialist Intervention in the Red Sea, 14 December 2023, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/the-houthis-and-the-looming-imperialist-intervention-in-the-red-sea/; Yemen’s Houthis Seize Israeli Cargo Ship: A Legitimate Act of Solidarity with the Palestinian Resistance, 20 November 2023, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/houthis-seize-israeli-cargo-ship/
[7] Yuval Azulay, Eilat port sees revenue drop 80% due to Houthi attacks, 13.12.23 https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hpuk8j79d
[8] Doron Peskin: How Houthi attacks are shaping the new economic landscape, 30.01.2024, https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/6tydm1fhj; Patrick Wintour: How Houthi anger with Israel is reshaping the Middle East conflict, The Guardian, 13 Jan 2024 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/13/how-houthi-anger-with-israel-is-reshaping-the-middle-east-conflict
[9] See UNCTAD: The Red Sea shipping crisis is having a ‘dramatic’ impact, warns logistics chief, 25 January 2024, https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/01/1145902; UNCTAD: Red Sea, Black Sea and Panama Canal: UNCTAD raises alarm on global trade disruptions, 26 January 2024, https://unctad.org/news/red-sea-black-sea-and-panama-canal-unctad-raises-alarm-global-trade-disruptions; Edith Lederer: UN: Global trade is being disrupted by Red Sea attacks, war in Ukraine and low water in Panama Canal, January 26, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/un-global-trade-red-sea-ukraine-panama-440507f5e8b0b6961f611274b6b19269
[10] Paul Wiseman and Mae Anderson: Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are idling car factories and delaying new fashion. Will it get worse? The Associated Press, January 28, 2024 https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-houthi-attacks-shipping-inflation-124d5445bec8ce6864112e3095646308
[11] Akira Kitado: Red Sea shipping disruptions ripple through Asia-Europe supply chains, Nikkei, January 28, 2024 https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Transportation/Red-Sea-shipping-disruptions-ripple-through-Asia-Europe-supply-chains
[12] Quoted in Alastair McCready and Maziar Motamedi: Israel’s war on Gaza live: Israeli forces kill 3 in West Bank hospital, Al Jazeera, 30 January 2024, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/30/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israeli-forces-detain-dozens-in-un-shelter-raid
[13] Quoted in Peter Baker: As U.S. and Militias Engage, White House Worries About a Tipping Point, New York Times, Jan. 21, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/21/us/politics/us-militias-tipping-point.html
[14] Quoted in Alastair McCready and Maziar Motamedi: Israel’s war on Gaza live: Israeli forces kill 3 in West Bank hospital, Al Jazeera, 30 January 2024, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/30/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israeli-forces-detain-dozens-in-un-shelter-raid
[15] Tara Copp and Qassim Abdul-Zahra: Washington and Baghdad plan to hold talks soon to end presence of US-led coalition in Iraq, Associated Press, 25 January 2024 https://apnews.com/article/iraq-us-coalition-islamic-state-israel-hamas-5639e1328ac0dbb9dd57fa9f027db332
[16] Middle East Eye: US senators demand strikes on Iran after deadly drone attack on troops in Jordan, 29 January 2024, https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-senators-call-revenge-following-drone-attack
[17] On the inter-imperialist rivalry see e.g. our book by Michael Pröbsting: Anti-Imperialism in the Age of Great Power Rivalry. The Factors behind the Accelerating Rivalry between the U.S., China, Russia, EU and Japan. A Critique of the Left’s Analysis and an Outline of the Marxist Perspective, RCIT Books, Vienna 2019, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/anti-imperialism-in-the-age-of-great-power-rivalry/
[18] See on this e.g. Michael Pröbsting: Heaven Helps Those Who Help Themselves. On the ICJ ruling on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, 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, 26.01.2024, https://the-isleague.com/critical-support-for-the-injunction-of-the-icj/
[19] For the RCIT’s analysis of the Zionist state and the historic Palestinian liberation struggle see e.g. two books by Yossi Schwartz, a Jewish Anti-Zionist since nearly six decades living in Occupied Palestine, who has dealt extensively with the Zionist state and the Marxist program: The Zionist Wars. History of the Zionist Movement and Imperialist Wars, 1 February 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/the-zionist-wars/; Palestine and Zionism. The History of Oppression of the Palestinian People. A Critical Account of the Myths of Zionism, RCIT Books, Vienna 2019, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/palestine-and-zionism/; see also a pamphlet by Michael Pröbsting: On some Questions of the Zionist Oppression and the Permanent Revolution in Palestine, May 2013, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/permanent-revolution-in-palestine/
[20] Gaza war taking heavy mental toll on Arab world, poll shows, The New Arab, 10 January, 2024, https://www.newarab.com/news/gaza-war-taking-heavy-mental-toll-arab-world-poll-shows?amp; see also: Michael Pröbsting: Gaza War and Arab World: A Massive Shift in Public Opinion, A new poll shows increasing hostility of Arabs against the U.S. and growing support for armed struggle against Israel, 18 December 2023, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/gaza-war-and-arab-world-a-massive-shift-in-public-opinion/
[21] We refer readers to several statements and articles on the crisis in Niger in summer 2023 which the RCIT and its section in Nigeria have published. They are compiled on a special website on our website: https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/collection-of-articles-on-the-coup-in-niger/
[22] The RCIT has published numerous documents about capitalism in Russia and its rise to an imperialist power. The most important ones are several pamphlets by Michael Pröbsting: The Peculiar Features of Russian Imperialism. A Study of Russia’s Monopolies, Capital Export and Super-Exploitation in the Light of Marxist Theory, 10 August 2021, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/the-peculiar-features-of-russian-imperialism/; by the same author: Lenin’s Theory of Imperialism and the Rise of Russia as a Great Power. On the Understanding and Misunderstanding of Today’s Inter-Imperialist Rivalry in the Light of Lenin’s Theory of Imperialism. Another Reply to Our Critics Who Deny Russia’s Imperialist Character, August 2014, http://www.thecommunists.net/theory/imperialism-theory-and-russia/; Russia as a Great Imperialist Power. The formation of Russian Monopoly Capital and its Empire – A Reply to our Critics, 18 March 2014 (this pamphlet contains a document written in 2001 in which we established for the first time our characterisation of Russia as imperialist), http://www.thecommunists.net/theory/imperialist-russia/; see also the following essays by the same author: ‘Empire-ism’ vs a Marxist analysis of imperialism: Continuing the debate with Argentinian economist Claudio Katz on Great Power rivalry, Russian imperialism and the Ukraine War, 3 March 2023, https://links.org.au/empire-ism-vs-marxist-analysis-imperialism-continuing-debate-argentinian-economist-claudio-katz; Russia: An Imperialist Power or a “Non-Hegemonic Empire in Gestation”? A reply to the Argentinean economist Claudio Katz, in: New Politics, 11 August 2022, at https://newpol.org/russia-an-imperialist-power-or-a-non-hegemonic-empire-in-gestation-a-reply-to-the-argentinean-economist-claudio-katz-an-essay-with-8-tables/; Russian Imperialism and Its Monopolies, in: New Politics Vol. XVIII No. 4, Whole Number 72, Winter 2022, https://newpol.org/issue_post/russian-imperialism-and-its-monopolies/; Once Again on Russian Imperialism (Reply to Critics). A rebuttal of a theory which claims that Russia is not an imperialist state but would be rather “comparable to Brazil and Iran”, 30 March 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/once-again-on-russian-imperialism-reply-to-critics/. See various other RCIT documents on this issue at a special sub-page on the RCIT’s website: https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/china-russia-as-imperialist-powers/.
[23] For our analysis of capitalism in China and its transformation into a Great Power see e.g. the book by Michael Pröbsting: Anti-Imperialism in the Age of Great Power Rivalry. The Factors behind the Accelerating Rivalry between the U.S., China, Russia, EU and Japan. A Critique of the Left’s Analysis and an Outline of the Marxist Perspective, RCIT Books, Vienna 2019, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/anti-imperialism-in-the-age-of-great-power-rivalry/; see also by the same author: “Chinese Imperialism and the World Economy”, an essay published in the second edition of The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism (edited by Immanuel Ness and Zak Cope), Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2020, https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-319-91206-6_179-1; China: An Imperialist Power … Or Not Yet? A Theoretical Question with Very Practical Consequences! Continuing the Debate with Esteban Mercatante and the PTS/FT on China’s class character and consequences for the revolutionary strategy, 22 January 2022, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/china-imperialist-power-or-not-yet/; China‘s transformation into an imperialist power. A study of the economic, political and military aspects of China as a Great Power (2012), in: Revolutionary Communism No. 4, http://www.thecommunists.net/publications/revcom-number-4; How is it possible that some Marxists still Doubt that China has Become Capitalist? (A Critique of the PTS/FT), An analysis of the capitalist character of China’s State-Owned Enterprises and its political consequences, 18 September 2020, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/pts-ft-and-chinese-imperialism-2/; Unable to See the Wood for the Trees (PTS/FT and China). Eclectic empiricism and the failure of the PTS/FT to recognize the imperialist character of China, 13 August 2020, https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/pts-ft-and-chinese-imperialism/; China’s Emergence as an Imperialist Power (Article in the US journal ‘New Politics’), in: “New Politics”, Summer 2014 (Vol:XV-1, Whole #: 57). See many more RCIT documents at a special sub-page on the RCIT’s website: https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/china-russia-as-imperialist-powers/.
[24] We refer readers to a special page on our website where all RCIT documents on the Ukraine War and the current NATO-Russia conflict are compiled, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/global/compilation-of-documents-on-nato-russia-conflict/.
[25] The RCIT has published a number of booklets, statements and articles on the Syrian Revolution since its inception in March 2011 which can be read on a special sub-section on this website: https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/collection-of-articles-on-the-syrian-revolution/.
[26] UNCTAD: Red Sea, Black Sea and Panama Canal: UNCTAD raises alarm on global trade disruptions, 26 January 2024, https://unctad.org/news/red-sea-black-sea-and-panama-canal-unctad-raises-alarm-global-trade-disruptions
[27] See on this Michael Pröbsting: Nearly Half of U.S. Youth Think that Hamas’s October Attack was Justified by Grievances of Palestinians, 30 November 2023, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/africa-and-middle-east/nearly-half-of-u-s-youth-think-that-hamas-s-october-attack-was-justified-by-grievances-of-palestinians/#_edn1
[28] Ron Kampeas: Poll finds a quarter of US Jews think Israel is ‘apartheid state’, The Times of Israel, 14.7.2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/poll-finds-a-quarter-of-us-jews-think-israel-is-apartheid-state/
[29] For a discussion of the issue of aristocratism see e.g. our book by Michael Pröbsting: Building the Revolutionary Party in Theory and Practice, (Chapter III, iii), https://www.thecommunists.net/theory/rcit-party-building/
[30] See on this e.g. RKOB: Austria: Pro-Israel Forces Lay Criminal Complaint against Michael Pröbsting, 29 January 2024, https://www.thecommunists.net/rcit/pro-israel-forces-lay-criminal-complaint-against-michael-proebsting/
[31] See e.g. the new RCIT Manifesto: The Revolutionary Struggle in the Era of Capitalist Collapse, adopted by the IV. Congress of the RCIT, September 2023, https://www.thecommunists.net/rcit-manifesto-2023/