Two fronts have emerged in the world. Those who support the Palestinian resistance and those who support the genocidal attacks of Israel. And these two fronts are at the same time the fronts of the imperialist centres and those who resist them. If one goes deeper, this reflects, though not exactly, the fronts of the struggle between the working class and the bourgeoisie in the world.
Fikret Soydan
December 2023 – Kaldıraç Issue 269
Nearly two months have passed since the attack that pierced Israel’s “iron cage” on 6-7 October 2023. In the 268th issue of Kaldıraç, Adalı’s assessment was published. This article, written immediately in the first days of this new phase of the war, or this continuous war, put the matter quite clearly. In those days, it was emphasized that this attack was a joint action of the entire Palestinian resistance. Therefore, despite the historical background of Hamas, the meaning of sincere resistance against the sovereign was clearly emphasized.
Today, nearly two months have passed.
Using Hamas attacks as a pretext, Israel has launched attacks against Gaza and the West Bank, and even against Syria and Lebanon, violating all the rules of war. These attacks and the Palestinian resistance against them are creating many new consequences or situations.
Therefore, it is necessary to take another look at all these developments.
1
Some of our “experts” shamelessly declare that Israel is attacking because Hamas is attacking. This must be a shy support for Israel. These “experts” understand their own stupidity as the stupidity of the public and they are very confident that no one will remember the past. I wonder how many times Israel attacked before this attack took place?
If I remember correctly, the year must have been 2009 and Erdogan, Syria and Israel were to meet and an agreement was to be signed. It was to be organised in such a way that the Palestinian state would be recognised by Israel. But when the date of the meeting was about to be decided, (It is possible to say that Hüsnü Mahalli has comprehensive information on this subject. In fact, everyone has this information, but it is possible to say that Mahalli would have expressed it directly without bending or twisting it.) Israel suddenly started attacks and around 3 thousand Palestinians were killed.
Was there a Hamas attack at that time?
Two things are wrong: One, it is false to say that Israel attacked because Hamas attacked. It is not only wrong, it is the work of “expert” supporters of Israel. Every year, for how many times, Israel attacks continuously. Some of these attacks had started not to be reported in the news, as if they were ordinary news. Therefore, it is possible to say that the 6-7 October attack became so valuable as a result of the resistance making an important move.
The second mistake is to condemn the resistance against Israel in the name of opposing the killing of civilians. This is to put the issue wrong from top to bottom, to distort the issue knowingly or unknowingly. Because Israel is an occupier there. Just like the Turkish state is an occupier in Syrian territory.
Israel has imprisoned the people in an open prison in a land where it is the occupier itself, and resistance against this occupier is a right and an obligation. If this is the case, to speak of “Israel’s right to self-defence” is to enter the war on behalf of Israel. Every occupier will face resistance against itself. To treat this not as resistance, but as a kind of terrorist attack, is to turn the facts upside down.
If, for example, the German state, the French state, the British state, the US makes these assessments, there is nothing incomprehensible about it. But when people with the title of “expert” start to express these assessments in a “humanitarian” tone, it means that there is a serious obfuscation. Their side, whether they like it or not, is the side of the dark forces, the side of the imperialist centres.
2
We are not in favour of calling it a Hamas-Israel war. We will continue to call it Palestinian resistance. This is not to deny the role of Hamas in the attack, but to say that this is a Palestinian resistance.
Those who wish can describe it as genocide at the hands of Israel. And it is. Israel is clearly carrying out a genocide against the Palestinian people. To date, 14-15 thousand Palestinians have died in Gaza alone, 6-7 thousand of them children.
The Jewish people (the state of Israel did not exist at that time and Jews lived in many countries of the world) faced Nazi persecution and was subjected to genocide during the Second World War. Today, the state of Israel is openly committing a more advanced version of this genocide against the Palestinian people. This is also a tragedy for the Israeli people. The rulers of a people who suffered genocide, the Israeli monopoly capital, are carrying out a racist attack against the Palestinian people in the region, as the triggerman of the US. This is not new either. This attack, this genocide is happening before the eyes of the world.
And today, there is a more developed resistance against this genocide, this attack, this attack that has been going on for 75 years. “Free Palestine from river to sea” became the slogan of this resistance.
3
And supporters of the Palestinian people in this resistance are on the streets in every country of the world. The police attacks on those who support the Palestinian resistance in America, England, Germany and France are actually a reflection of this genocidal war within these countries. These states treat their own people with hostility because they oppose the genocide against the Palestinian people.
There are millions of people supporting the Palestinian resistance all over the world and in every country. And these millions include most of the Israeli people. The response of the Israeli people to the attacks of the State of Israel is extremely honorable.
Of course, on the other hand, it is the entire West, including the five imperialist powers, the US, Germany, France, England, Japan, and almost all NATO countries, that support Israeli attacks against Palestine.
Two fronts have emerged in the world. Those who support the Palestinian resistance and those who support the genocidal attacks of Israel. And these two fronts are at the same time the fronts of the imperialist centres and those who resist them. If one goes deeper, this reflects, though not exactly, the fronts of the struggle between the working class and the bourgeoisie in the world.
4
The Turkish state, the Palace Regime, declares, through various statements, that it is on the side of the Palestinian people. But the truth is not like that.
The Palestinian resistance has revealed the hypocritical policy of the Turkish state on this issue and has taken off the masks.
The Turkish state does not refrain from making high-toned statements as if it is in favor of Palestine and against Israeli attacks. But it doesn’t take even a single precaution. For example, economic and military relations with Israel are not interrupted. It does not prevent the flights of Israeli planes conducting flight tests in the skies of Turkey. No economic measures are put into effect regarding steel, food and oil shipments. The Houthis seized a Turkish cargo ship, and on this occasion, the support flowing from Turkey to Israel was once again revealed.
Whereas, without any disquisition, if all economic and military relations were suspended, it alone would already mean a heavy blow to Israel and serious support would be given to the Palestinian people regarding the war.
Turkey, along with Israel, is a US hitman in our region, and no matter how hard they try to hide this situation, it is no longer a secret.
5
The Arab League is a superfluous, dysfunctional union. This situation has arisen. In mid-November, while Islamic countries and Arab countries, including Iran and Turkey, were at the meeting in Syria, they did not actually make any positive, meaningful or worthwhile decisions. For example, even precautions such as oil shipment, steel shipment etc. have not been taken.
While Israel cut off the electricity and energy of the people in Gaza, Islamic countries could not cut off the shipment of oil, etc.
57 countries attended the meeting, and both the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation met together. For example, none of these countries decided to close or temporarily close the US bases in their countries. Among the countries with US bases are Turkey, Iraq, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Jordan. None of them have ever shown such a tendency.
For example, 57 countries have not decided to cut their diplomatic, military and economic relations with Israel or to cut them off after a certain period of time.
It seems that, apart from Syria and Iran, not even a significant raising of voice has taken place.
For example, Arab countries did not say, “We are now suspending the Abraham Accords, we are canceling the agreements made with Israel until the Israeli attacks stop, and the Palestinian state is established within the 1967 borders” (we say this because the 1967 borders are a UN decision).
Syria and Iran offered to go beyond words and condemnations, but these were not even taken into consideration. Words of aid were added to words of massacre, and by not going beyond this framework, a blind eye was actually turned to Israeli attacks.
And on the occasion of this incident, the Arab and Islamic unions declared that they were dysfunctional and that they had no possibility of making a decision on any issue.
6
This issue is extremely important. Because, as Deniz Adalı stated in issue 268, the Palestinian resistance actually upset the US’s plans to attack Iran with the help of Israel.
In other words, this war is a front of the third world war, which continues worldwide, started as a war of sharing between imperialist powers, and today has turned into the West’s war against Russia and China under the dominance of the US.
Active and passive war fronts are being formed.
Ukraine is an active war front. The Balkans are a passive war front.
The developments occurring in the Caucasus are, on the one hand, a part of the war against Russia and China, and on the other hand, a part of the planned attack against Iran.
The war against Iran is being organized to be launched through Azerbaijan from above and through Turkey and Israel simultaneously. This is what it looks like. And the resistance of the Palestinian people affects this process. The US has to postpone or reconsider the war it is planning with the help of Israel and Turkey.
Israel’s attack is also linked to the war in Syria and Lebanon. It is not limited to Iran. Even though the target is Iran, this war is actually a war to change all borders in the region. Between the options of leaving the region and settling further in the region, the US is of course pushing the option of settling in the region. Arab and Islamic troops do not intend to deviate from the US route. This is also a lack of will and a clear indication of being a colonial country.
Even though Israeli attacks have turned into a genocide (this genocide already always exists), it is debatable whether Israel will achieve victory. This situation is a sign that the war process in the region will prolong further and a constant state of war is developing.
Military investments and armament will increase throughout the region. It is already increasing.
But there is more; This time, the US seems to be in a hurry to open the Taiwan front in order to re-establish its disintegrating hegemony. Of course, the Caucasus may warm up again in this regard. Even though Armenia and Azerbaijan made an agreement, it is known that the US is very prepared to disrupt the Caucasus. There is also the possibility of a new movement in the Balkans. The Balkans are also one of the passive fronts.
Thus, the US continues its plan to continue the war in distant areas on its own territory. The US, which was able to wage two world wars outside its own territory, is trying to do the same today. But it is not possible for the third world war to continue outside US territory. However, it seems that the US will launch the war in areas as far away from its own territory as possible.
7
Of course, the Palestinian resistance has also influenced the mobilization of the left in our country and the masses around the world. This is quite valuable. The ongoing crisis of the capitalist system worldwide was already leading to the emergence of mass actions in various forms. Demonstrations aimed at supporting the Palestinian resistance and opposing Israeli attacks have created significant activity, especially in Western metropolises.
These mass actions have the potential to grow even further. This situation allows each country to decipher the attitudes of its own states. The masses taking an open stance towards their own state’s policies will not be limited to the Palestine issue. How deep it will become will, of course, depend on the attitudes of the revolutionary forces in those countries.
However, in this respect, the process is connected with the ongoing war around the world. The worldwide war is emerging as a civil war in all NATO countries that provoked the war. How developed this is in which country is a separate issue. However, actions in support of the Palestinian resistance and the aggressive reactions of the West’s “democracies” to these actions will also affect this civil war process.
8
Of course, it is also possible to consider the entire Middle East. This, of course, means a very comprehensive study. But what is more important is to see that, due to the fact that the balances in the region are constantly changing, this analysis must be made dynamically and addressed every time.
Due to the importance of the region, the US will neither accept defeat in Syria and withdraw, nor will it cancel its war plans against Iran. Yes, it looks like it will be postponed. But no matter what, the coming months are likely to show interesting developments.
War plans are also the basis of the shape the Turkish state took after the May elections. The Palace Regime, with the war cabinet, is mostly engaged in war plans. In this respect, the development that emerged in Palestine surprised the Turkish state too.
The Palace Regime, just like Israel, is a US hitman. And two hitmen in the region are preparing to operate very effectively. But developments in the region change these plans, at least temporally.
With the Israeli attack, the military buildup of all major powers in the region has reached a very high level. US warships, Chinese warships, British warships etc. are all in the region. Moreover, the US is massing soldiers and aircraft at all bases in the region. Incirlik Base is constantly being reinforced. While the US supports Israel on the one hand, it is also holding backdoor negotiations to prevent the war from spreading in the region. But now this is a trick no one will swallow. Every power is preparing itself for war. The US takes it as an advantage that the opposing forces are not as willing to fight war as it is. Neither Russia nor China are keen on war. They do not want war. But the US’s attacks are bringing the war closer. And for the US, concentrating the war in an area far from itself is a strategic game.
9
We always say: The only force that can prevent war is a new wave of socialist revolution. Just like the October Revolution that stopped the First World War, it is not possible to stop this war without a new wave of revolution breaking the capitalist chain.
This means the resistance of the people.
This means the rise up of the world working class.
This means that the revolutionary organization keeps its own path and route intact.
