Statement by the Executive Committee of the Independent Socialist Group
On Friday, October 27th, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) invaded the Gaza Strip following a devastating aerial bombardment campaign. IDF tanks, soldiers, and engineers entered Northern and Central Gaza under the cover of night and a telecommunications blackout in an attempt to encircle the capital, Gaza City. While providing limited humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, the Biden Administration remains supportive of the Israeli government’s course of action by pushing a massive emergency military aid bill and refusing to call for a ceasefire as the IDF levels much of the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s bombardment and ground assault on Gaza sparked mass protests across the world, with rallies in the United States calling for a ceasefire in the conflict. The protests, at times numbering in the thousands, are a good start to pressuring capitalist politicians to end the war on Gaza. A protest in Oakland even delayed a US military supply ship, by some accounts preparing to deliver arms to Israel, from leaving. Ultimately, a mass united struggle of the workers and youth will be needed to start to break the cycle of violence in the region.
IDF Siege Devastates Gaza
Following the October 7th Hamas incursion—in which the right-wing, religious fundamentalist organization primarily targeted civilians, killed 1,400 Israelis, and took over 200 hostages—the State of Israel declared war on Hamas. Israel followed the declaration with a horrific bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip, described as the most intense bombing campaign of the 21st century. The Gaza Health Ministry reports more than 10,000 Palestinians dead, including 89 aid workers. The reported death toll includes more than 4,000 children, prompting the United Nations (UN) to call Gaza a “children’s graveyard.”
The New York Times is publishing a detailed analysis of the war using satellite images and maps to track the progress of Israel’s invasion and damage from the air strikes. A recent analysis by CUNY researchers estimated between 38,200 and 44,500 buildings were destroyed and damaged by airstrikes throughout the Gaza Strip.
The NYT report from October 31st carries the headline “At least a quarter of buildings in Northern Gaza are damaged, analysis estimates” with the article stating that 14% of buildings across the entirety of the Gaza Strip, including commercial centers and residential neighborhoods, have been damaged or destroyed. The destruction includes strikes near al-Quds Hospital and the leveling of the densely populated Jabalia neighborhood. The same report notes that neighborhoods, a bakery, and a mosque were hit by airstrikes in Southern Gaza, within the limits of the civilian evacuation zone set by the IDF.
The Israeli State previously told 1.1 million Gazans to leave their homes in the north to reach the evacuation zone—an order the United Nations deemed impossible. In reality, nowhere in the Strip is safe for civilians.
The Gaza Strip, a mere 140 square miles of territory, is home to more than 2 million Palestinians, making it about as densely populated as Hong Kong. Many of the residents are descendants of refugees who fled to the enclave after being expelled from their homes by Zionist militias during the 1948 Nakba.
The Gaza Strip is described as an open-air prison camp, with access to clean water, fuel, electricity, medical supplies, and food limited by the Israeli State’s blockade of the area since 2005. As hospitals run out of fuel and destroyed infrastructure hampers the distribution of already inadequate resources, the UN reports that “civil order is declining” in Gaza, with residents “taking necessities from warehouses” as the IDF invasion progresses.
The bombing campaign and invasion pose an existential threat to Palestinians in Gaza and the potential for Gaza’s annexation by Israel. The occupation of Gaza, if it lasts, means Palestinians will no longer have land unoccupied by the IDF. Even if Israel and Hamas negotiate a ceasefire and IDF forces withdraw, the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip to a livable standard will be unachievable within the framework of capitalism.
US Imperialism Fears a Wider War
The US government has reaffirmed its support for the Israeli government, sending munitions and planes to support Israel despite the IDF bombing civilians. Additionally, the US sent two of its 11 aircraft carriers and a Marine rapid response force to make a “show of force” in the region.
US President Joe Biden visited Israel on October 18th, the first time a US president has visited the country during a war. In a speech, Biden reaffirmed support for the Israeli State, but cautioned leaders not to go too far retaliating against Gaza. Despite the devastation wrought by the IDF, the Biden Administration refuses to call for anything more than a humanitarian pause to the fighting.
Biden’s words reveal capitalist unease that the war could spill over into a regional conflict and erode the position of US imperialism in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. As Hannah Sell, general secretary of the Socialist Party of England and Wales, recently wrote:
“There is a potential ‘superpower’ that stands against the onslaught on Gaza. The massive demonstrations that have taken place across the Arab world – including Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Tunisia, as well as on the West Bank – have given a glimpse of that superpower. They are a central factor in US imperialism and other Western powers changing their tone at least, and attempting to prevent the Israeli government going ‘too far’. The imperialist powers, and the Arab regimes, are undoubtedly anxious to try and avoid the real danger of a regional war. Above all, however, they are anxious to avoid a new ‘Arab Spring’. Just over a decade ago, mass movements of the working class and poor swept the region overthrowing dictatorships. Ultimately, those movements were defeated because the working class of the different countries lacked their own parties with a programme for the socialist transformation of society. Nonetheless, the working class is potentially the most powerful force in society, capable of overthrowing the existing order. The elites fear they might not be so lucky next time around.”
The Biden Administration has made token efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, pledging $100 million in relief for Palestinians during his visit to the Middle East and negotiating passage for 20 trucks from Egypt to deliver supplies.
Furthermore, the Biden administration proposed an unprecedented $14.5 billion in military aid to Israel–more than 100 times the aid proposed for Palestinian civilians. The $14.5 billion will be part of a proposed $106 billion package aimed at shoring up the interests of US imperialism, with more military aid for Ukraine and Taiwan and money for fortifying the US-Mexico border, including completing the wall promoted by Donald Trump.
Biden’s Proposal Divides a Congress in Crisis
The proposal has caused friction with the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which recently recalled speaker Kevin McCarthy over working with Biden to avoid the US defaulting on its debts. The House voted to replace him with the far-right, Christian fundamentalist Mike Johnson after a contentious round of elections. While the Republican Party supports fortifying the border, opposing China, and giving military aid to Israel, elements of the party have been critical of US spending on the Ukraine War.
On Thursday, November 2nd, the House passed a $14.5 billion aid package for Israel on the condition that it be separate from other funding measures and offset by cuts to the Internal Revenue Service, specifically programs that audit the wealthy. Rather than relieving tax burdens on workers and the national debt, the cuts would lose $12 billion in revenue for the US government and let capitalist tax dodgers off the hook.
The congressional battle over aid for Israel demonstrates the profound crisis of leadership among the US capitalist class in recent decades. Additionally, it indicates that while the two parties of big business may differ in how they go about implementing US imperialism, both are staunch supporters of war and exploitation. While Biden poses as the antithesis of Trump, he promotes the same policies of escalating tensions with China and implementing an authoritarian security policy on the US-Mexico border. Meanwhile, the Republican Party’s anti-war facade concerning the war in Ukraine is broken by their rabid hatred of Palestinians and eagerness to support Israel in leveling the Gaza Strip.
United Class Struggle Can Win Safety and Peace for All Workers
As we wrote in our initial online statement on the war:
“The Independent Socialist Group (ISG) opposes the attacks on civilians. We demand an end to the United States’ support for the IDF and Israeli Government’s state terror against Palestinians. We also oppose the terrorist tactics and right-wing politics of Hamas and the collaborationist approach of the Fatah-led Palestinian National Authority. Neither offers a viable way forward for the Palestinian people to achieve liberation.”
Hamas, a right-wing, fundamentalist political party and military organization, has held power in Gaza since a 2007 election. After the secular Palestinian Liberation Organization made peace with Israel following the Oslo I and II accords, Hamas was seen by many Palestinians as a militant opposition to Israel that would oppose the occupation and fight for Palestinian statehood. Since taking power, Hamas has suppressed protests and elections in Gaza. It receives most of its support from right-wing, anti-worker regimes in the region, including Iran, Turkey, and Qatar (the latter two being US allies). The rise of Hamas over the PLO parallels the rise of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party in Israeli politics, also in opposition to the Oslo Accords.
On the other side of the conflict, neither Netanyahu’s Government nor the Israeli liberal opposition leaders can provide safety and democracy for Jewish Israelis, especially as both groups work to oppress Palestinians and Arab Israelis. Netanyahu’s inability to provide security for Jewish Israelis has discredited him among his supporters since the October 7th attacks, even as the attacks bolstered support for an invasion of Gaza among Israelis. The October 7th attacks cut across the mass protest movement against Netanyahu that swept the country from January to September 2023, peaking with demonstrations of 600,000+ people and a general strike in March.
Before the fighting, Hamas and the Israeli government could not count on majority support from workers in their countries. Both regimes faced protests. With the outbreak of war, their support will likely surge for a time without an independent, working-class alternative to the religious right on the ground.
The working class on both sides of the border is the only force capable of ending the decades of violence. There have been powerful mass protests in both Israel and Palestine in the recent period. Additionally, protests against the war are spreading like wildfire across the Middle East in countries like Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Qatar. As the death toll climbs, anger and opposition to the war will likely intensify, and mass protests could reemerge in Israel. Independent working-class organizations that can democratically organize mass struggle to stop the war and win a peaceful resolution are needed. Only a united working-class movement can pave the way for democratic rights and self-determination for all in a socialist Middle East, a step toward lasting peace to the region.
The task of workers and youth in the United States is to oppose US capitalism and imperialism, which are key backers of Israeli state terror. Workers and youth can do this by expanding the protests and organizing committees to build the anti-war movement. This process would include passing resolutions in union meetings to oppose weapon shipments to Israel and eventually building for strikes in the rail, trucking, and maritime shipping industry, as well as the arms manufacturing industry, to make these demands a reality, regardless of how Congress votes to allocate money. The Independent Socialist Group demands:
- Stop the siege on Gaza! For the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli military from the occupied territories and an end to the bombing campaigns and blockade.
- End the US “show of force” in Israel and Palestine. Recall the US Navy carrier strike groups and Marine rapid response force from the region.
- Israeli-Americans should refuse to fight in the IDF or participate in the invasion of Gaza.
- End US weapons shipments and all military aid for Israel and other right-wing, anti-worker governments in the region, including in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. Reject Biden’s request for $105 billion in emergency funding for war abroad and the border wall at home.
- Cut ties between the Israeli Defense Forces for training programs and weapons development programs with US police forces and any other institutions.
- Organize mass protests in the US and around the world against the war and to defend democratic rights and win self-determination for the Palestinian people.
- Unite unions, workers, and youth to break with the pro-imperialism Democratic and Republican parties and build a workers’ party. A US workers’ party could organize solidarity and support for the right to self-determination for workers worldwide, oppose US imperialism and massive military budgets, and fight to improve workers’ rights and living standards at home and internationally.
The Independent Socialist Group stands in solidarity with the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI), which participated in the 2023 anti-Netanyahu protests in Israel and has consistently stood for the rights of both the Palestinian and Israeli working classes. The CWI has published further analysis of the situation in Israel and Palestine today, as well as the history of the struggle for Palestinian rights. In Israel and Palestine, the CWI demands:
- Release all hostages and political prisoners.
- For democratically-organized defense committees in local communities.
- For a mass struggle of the Palestinians, under their own democratic control, to fight for liberation.
- For the building of independent workers’ parties in Palestine and Israel and links between them.
- For an independent, socialist Palestinian state, alongside a socialist Israel, with two capitals in Jerusalem and guaranteed democratic rights for all minorities, as part of the struggle for a socialist Middle East.
- For a confederation of socialist states in the Middle East, which could democratically plan the economy to rebuild destroyed and displaced communities and greatly improve the living standards of workers and youth throughout the region.
Independent Socialist Group 