Two Million Gazans Living in Hell, Israeli Economy in Ruins
TEL AVIV, January 5— “I am very glad that you invited me to your ICWP meeting,” a friend from Haifa told fourteen comrades gathered in the home of two Red Flag distributors. “There are many people in Haifa who are severely affected by the Gaza genocide. The increase in VAT [Value Added Tax] and health tax, the devastating declines in tourism and construction, and the recall of reservists have contributed to inflation and labor shortages. The genocide in Gaza is a war at home.”
Daniel, a regular Red Flag reader, added, “The estimated cost of the war is $400 billion. The Israeli economy is in ruins. Gaza seems to be beyond repair. We need to organize for a communist revolution. From Gaza to Tel Aviv, the workers need to build unshakable international solidarity.”
Naomi and Daniel have been taking Red Flag to a liberal group, B’Tselem. “You look at the beach in Tel Aviv,” Daniel continued. “Just 60 km south is Gaza. It is so surreal. There are two million people living in hell. We believed that we could keep them from harm and injustice. We now think that capitalism brings injustice and genocide.”
Many people are open to the ideas of Red Flag. In our meetings, we are exploring the possibility of printing an Arabic edition. We have a friend who is very sympathetic to our cause who speaks Arabic fluently. He has agreed to translate some articles for distribution in the West Bank.
The fascist regime in Israel has created another front of escalating hunger, disease, and starvation in Gaza. They have banned major NGOs from working there. Meanwhile, Gaza-based Palestinian mutual-aid groups encourage and assist people to fight for their own survival.
Families huddle, soaked and cold, in tents flooded with rainwater and sewage. Thousands of flimsy tents supplied by China, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia provide little protection from winter storms. The Israeli fascists continue to block the entrance of truckloads of temporary housing units.
Israeli airstrikes and ground operations have killed over four hundred Palestinians and wounded over a thousand more since the phony October 10 “ceasefire.” But with our vast network of friends, sympathizers, ex-combatants, and Red Flag readers, we can establish a communication channel to the residents in Gaza.
The Red Flag readers’ group in Tel Aviv believes that another war with Iran is inevitable. We are on the cusp of World War. The Middle East is a powder keg. All the contradictions of capitalism from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, and Iran offer nothing to the working class.
Communist revolution is not easy. It is a long struggle. In 1934-35, the Chinese communist Red Army escaped its besieged base in southeast China. Over nearly two years, it fought its way over six thousand miles to Yan’an, Shaanxi, in the northwest, suffering heavy losses. From this base grew the 1949 Chinese Revolution.
This Long March is an inspiring history, where a small group of communists mobilized the masses amid genocide and ruins. This time, we will fight for and win real communism.
Read our pamphlet Genocide in Palestine Demands Communist Revolution here