Palestine stands for global resistance
Jan 21, 2009
The following is from a talk by Sara Flounders, co-director of the
International Action Center, at the Palestine Plenary Session of the Jan. 16-18
Beirut International Forum for Resistance, Anti-Imperialism, Peoples'
Solidarity and Alternatives.
The United Nations just stands by, the European Union is in full support of
the Zionist state and the whole war is paid for and equipped by U.S.
imperialism. From Saudi Arabia to Egypt to India, nations who were once
considered friends of Palestine stand by and watch Gaza burn—day after
day after day!
The Zionists’ use of bunker busters, F-16 jets, cluster bombs, white
phosphorus bombs and the systematic destruction of food warehouses and
emergency relief provisions is all well publicized throughout the entire
region, but absolutely nothing is done in the face of the most serious war
crimes.
Why, why is this? The global inaction is because the rich and powerful are
terrified of, and desperately want to destroy, resistance in their own
countries. They want to destroy the glorious example of resistance—which
Palestine represents to the whole world
Every one of the great powers and their collaborators hope that by attacking
Heroic Gaza they can push back and demoralize the struggle in the whole
region.
Gaza is a harbinger of wider war against oppressed people of the world. We
are on the eve of a global capitalist crisis. This means massive insecurity,
cutbacks in all social programs, unemployment for millions.
Millions of working people will seek to fight back against a system of
endless war and greater and greater divide of enormous wealth for a handful and
poverty for the overwhelming majority. Increasingly they will identify with and
take heart from the many forms of resistance they see around them.
We need to militantly support Hamas, the democratically elected choice of
the people, which is being demonized, hunted and assassinated by the Zionists,
as is every heroic fighter.
We need to make it clear that we support the right to resist, the right to
fire rockets, the right to dig tunnels, the right to organize the people
against sure starvation and the blockade that Israel has criminally
imposed.
For decades the Palestinian struggle has been the shining example to all the
world of a people who refuse to submit to colonial domination, apartheid
conditions, the most brutal forms of segregation and subjugation.
At this forum we salute the powerful resistance of Iraq and the struggle
waged by all of the different forces opposing U.S. occupation.
We salute the resistance in Afghanistan—a resistance that the U.S.
never expected.
We salute the heroic forces in Lebanon, led by Hezbollah, which organized
such a devastating setback to Israel in 2006.
We stand with the people of Syria and with Iran, who, in the face of
U.S./Israeli threats, have been steadfast.
We applaud the people of Venezuela and Bolivia, who have shown such great
solidarity with the struggle in Gaza as they organize to build a more just
society.
We must intensify the struggle against NATO, the U.S./European Union
military arm. Now we need to connect the criminal role of NATO in Afghanistan,
NATO in the Balkans, in Georgia—to the phony Israeli ceasefire in Gaza.
Washington now wants NATO military forces in Palestine and Egypt! NATO is the
U.S. shield to do what Israel alone can no longer do. It is an effort to impose
greater U.S. control in the region. But there is greater and greater resistance
everywhere to these plans.
Organizers represented at this forum are involved in the most practical work
of mobilizing opposition at the grass roots. Collectively we have brought
millions into the streets in public demonstrations of solidarity. This is true
in the Arab and Muslim world, through the entire South, and also in the
imperialist countries. In some places we have blocked and even occupied the
embassies of Israel and targeted countries that have collaborated with
Israel’s war crimes. Activists here today have taken boats to Gaza and
taken up collections for people-to-people humanitarian aid.
From the U.S.—we are proud to have helped to organize many thousands
of people in the streets, emergency demonstrations day after day for three
weeks in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and many other cities.
We must sustain an ongoing movement to boycott, divest and to impose
sanctions [BDS] on the Israeli state and war crimes charges on its leaders. We
must demand an accounting from our own governments.
We need to continue and deepen all these actions to find the best way of
throwing a giant shoe into the gears of the imperialist and Zionist war
machines.
Sisters and brothers—Gaza stands for global resistance.
It is the resistance of a whole people against starvation, blockade and
siege.
World solidarity is a responsibility!
Palestine is fighting for all of us!
We must fight for Palestine!
