On December 10th at 1:00 PM join people from across the state in Harrisburg on the Capitol steps to rally for an end to the siege on Gaza and demand a permanent cease fire, and an end to all US aid to Israel. Without US funding Israeli apartheid and their occupation of Gaza is impossible.
The People Refuse to Condemn Palestinian Resistance
From the beginning of their most recent effort to break free from the genocidal occupation of Israeli Defense Forces on October 7th, volunteers with the Chester County Liberation Center (located in Coatesville) have rejected the liberal-left position that attempts to argue that the Palestinian armed resistance, that doesn’t even have a military or air force, is equal to, or of the same magnitude of violence, as Israel’s settler colonialism. Israel has received billions of dollars and weapons from the US for decades, making it’s army one of the most sophisticated and deadly in the world [1].
Liberation Center organizers, in other words, have consistently rejected the bogus position that the violence of the oppressed struggling against genocide with virtually no resources is just as bad or evil as the violence of the oppressors supported with all the cash and technology US imperialism has to offer [2].
Our position, the position taken by virtually the entire global south, was not, and is not, a popular position amongst even the liberal wing of the capitalist class political establishment. Nevertheless, the first national call to flood the streets for Palestine on October 15th was met with tens of thousands of people from around the country, and across the world, taking to the streets in solidarity [3].
Thousands came out in PA alone answering our call to stand in solidarity with Palestine in their effort to liberate themselves from 75 years of US-funded Israeli apartheid and all of the death, destruction and land theft that has accompanied it. We noted that in retaliation to Palestinian resistance Israel has not only carpet bombed Gaza, but they cut off supplies of food, water and fuel and a humanitarian crisis has been underway now for several months.
The Struggle for Palestinian Justice has only Grown
By October 15th it was clear that the liberal position aimed at discrediting the righteous resistance of Palestinians had been firmed rejected by the working and oppressed people in the US.
On October 21st thousands more across the state, and dozens in Coatesville, came out to stand with Palestinians in Gaza and demand the US end all funding to Israel. Again on October 28th many more joined us in Phoenixville calling for an end to the increasingly genocidal siege on Gaza, including the illegal bombing of hospitals and the targeting of journalists and doctors.
Volunteers from the Chester County Liberation Center joined 500,000 people in Washington DC on Nevember 4th demanding an end to the siege on Gaza. In what was the largest pro-Palestinian demonstration in US history it was clear that the working people of the US could not be bullied into silence and stand by passively while our tax dollars fund perhaps the most blatant example of genocide in recent history [4].
Following this mass action in DC, on November 17th at Chester County’s Democratic Party Headquarters in West Chester nearly 100 people came out to bring attention to the fact that Chrissy Houlahan, U.S. representative from Pennsylvania’s 6th congressional district, has accepted a total of $32,715 of campaign funds from some of largest weapon manufacturers and their investors: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, RTX Corp, and Blackrock INC. [5].
Organizers and attendees made it clear that state rep Houlahan does not represent the people of Chester County, who want to see an end to the occupation of Palestine and the end of the U.S. war machine. While 66% of people in the US demand a ceasefire, Houlahan continues to stand with occupation and genocide.
Building a Mass Movement is Working! Keep up the Pressure
The pressure working people are applying to the political establishment is working. Israel, for example, immediately following the Palestinian insurgency on October 7th, said they would not negotiate with Hamas and that they would not agree to a ceasefire, even a temporary one. Israel has done both. The mass movement of the people, in the US and around the world, is working [6].
We must therefore not only continue to mobilize, but we must continue to expand and intensify the mobilizations. It has only ever been the organized masses that has ever been able to shift the balance of forces and compel the capitalist class to make concessions to the people’s demands. The people can win, but only if we struggle [7]!
Stand with us and demand that from the river to the sea, Palestine be!
References
[1] Party for Socialism and Liberation. “PSL Statement: Free Palestine, free all Palestinian political prisoners, end all U.S. aid to the Israeli apartheid regime!” Liberation News. October 7th, 2023. https://www.liberationnews.org/psl-statement-free-palestine-free-all-palestinian-political-prisoners-end-all-u-s-aid-to-the-israeli-apartheid-regime/
[2] Joyce Chediac. “300,000 pro-Palestine protesters in D.C. confront Biden and Netanyahu’s genocide.” Liberation News. November 5th, 2023. https://www.liberationnews.org/300000-pro-palestine-protesters-in-d-c-confront-biden-and-netanyahus-genocide/
[3] Natalia Marques. “People across the globe disrupt ‘business as usual’ for Palestine.” Liberation News. November 10th, 2023. https://www.liberationnews.org/people-across-the-globe-disrupt-business-as-usual-for-palestine/
[4] Joyce Chediac. “300,000 pro-Palestine protesters in D.C. confront Biden and Netanyahu’s genocide.” Liberation News. November 5th, 2003. https://www.liberationnews.org/300000-pro-palestine-protesters-in-d-c-confront-biden-and-netanyahus-genocide/
[5] Sameena Rahman. “On Nov. 17, actions across the country will Shut It Down for Palestine once again.” Liberation News. November 16th, 2023. https://www.liberationnews.org/on-nov-17-actions-across-the-country-will-shut-it-down-for-palestine-once-again/
[6] Ben Becker. “State repression won’t succeed at intimidating the Palestine solidarity movement.” Liberation News.” November 28th, 2023. https://www.liberationnews.org/state-repression-wont-succeed-at-intimidating-the-palestine-solidarity-movement/
[7] Jasper Saah. “Israel’s pinkwashing ‘task force’ aims to crush growing Palestine solidarity on U.S. campuses.” Liberation News. December 4th, 2023. https://www.liberationnews.org/israels-pinkwashing-task-force-aims-to-crush-growing-palestine-solidarity-on-u-s-campuses/