As Liberation Journal goes to print, at least 20 wars are being waged around the world, including in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as other less publicised ‘hidden’ conflicts. These wars bear witness to the way in which imperialist power politics are being played out and the peoples of the world are paying the price.
Recently, the Israeli government told 2.3 million Palestinians to move southwards, only for its killing machine to follow. An area half the size of Heathrow Airport was unilaterally designated by the Israelis as a “safe zone”. It was a false promise, neither Rafah nor the tents in the so-called safe zone at nearby Al-Mawasi were exempt from Israeli bombardment.
Once the movement of thousands of civilian women, children, and men was underway, Israeli tanks seized the Rafah border crossing, cutting off food aid and humanitarian supplies. These actions are not only crimes against humanity, as stated by the International Criminal Court, they are war crimes and Netanyahu is a war criminal who should be arrested and charged with acts of genocide.
The US, UK, and EU continue to give support to Israel and propagate the lie that the Israeli state is acting in “self-defence”. In contrast, international public opinion and mass demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine demand an immediate ceasefire, with students and young people in the vanguard of international democratic protest.
For the forces of democracy, human rights, and self-determination, stopping the slaughter in Gaza is a key imperative in international affairs. However, the Tory government and Labour leadership in Britain are slavishly falling in line with the policies of the US, which serve only to bolster the latter’s hegemony in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the conflict in Ukraine and threats by NATO to move from a proxy war against Russia towards a direct military intervention are adding to the catastrophe currently unfolding in the Middle East, pushing world politics in an unpredictable and extremely dangerous direction.
In this the 70th anniversary year of the establishment of Liberation as the Movement for Colonial Freedom (MCF), the need for Britain to adopt a progressive independent foreign policy has never been more urgent. Such a policy would contribute greatly to reversing the current slide towards a Third World War scenario.
Moreover, the recognition of Palestinian statehood is not being helped by US-led attempts to manipulate Saudi Arabia against Iran with ‘solutions’ to the Middle East conflict which ignore this key demand and inalienable right. Neither is the peace process assisted by the parallel secret negotiations that have been taking place in Oman between the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In addition, in the 30th anniversary year of the first free election in South Africa in which the black majority participated, people around the world are following the struggle of peoples in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali rejecting neo-colonial/imperialist exploitation. Several African nations are asserting their independence and sovereignty, resisting manipulation by the US, UK, and EU former colonial powers and severely reducing their reliance on those countries.
The Israeli government is guilty of genocide and criticisms of its crimes are neither antisemitic nor linked to prejudice against Jewish people. Neither the Israeli state nor those governments complicit in its war crimes can go on hiding behind such lies and misrepresentations used to “justify” their criminal actions.
In its 70th anniversary year, Liberation is stepping up its campaigning work to be better able to serve the needs of the democratic struggle for peace, equality, justice, and independence!
Jamshid Ahmadi
Editor
This is the Editorial of our latest journal – get your copy here
Image: Creative Commons
