People's Democracy

US IMPERIALISM BACKS ZIONIST DESIGNS 

Israeli Aggression On Lebanon

TWO weeks ago through these columns, while outrightly condemning the Israeli attacks on the Gaza strip and against the Palestinians, we had warned that this offensive is not aimed (as opposed to the ostensible claim) at acquiring the release of the abducted Israeli soldier by the Hamas on June 25. The real intention remains the execution of a premeditated and a planned attack aimed at destroying the very means for continued human survival in Palestinian lands. 

Unfortunately, for the Palestinians and for peace-loving people across the world, this has come true. During the last one week, Israel has enlarged its agenda by mounting vicious attacks against Lebanon with the ostensible intention of pulverising the Hezbollah which Israel and its mentor, USA, declare as a terrorist organisation. During this week, over 200 Lebanese have been killed and thousands injured. In retaliation, Hezbollah rockets have been hitting targets in Israel claiming casualties. As always it is the innocent who are the casualties of this renewed Israeli offensive in West Asia. 

A consequence of this has been the mounting of one of the biggest mass evacuations since World War II in Lebanon. International observers have termed this as the “biggest evacuation since Dunkirk” (Second World War) when some three and a half lakh soldiers were evacuated by sea from France in 1940 in the face of Nazi Hitlerite attacks. The Indian government has also mounted its efforts to evacuate all Indians from Lebanon. Israel has made this process all the more difficult by incapacitating the Beirut Airport. India has now diverted four navy warships to be on the standby to evacuate Indians by sea. 

Even though thousands of citizens belonging to the western countries are stranded in Lebanon, the G8 summit at Leningrad, as expected, did not in any way outrightly condemn these Israeli attacks. Paying lip service to the death of innocents, both George Bush and Tony Blair on the contrary chose to blame the Hamas and the Hezbollah for the present situation. While France pushed for a ceasefire, president Bush refused to join in. Clearly, this Israeli offensive is with both the support and the patronage of US imperialism. The UN secretary general has called for a ceasefire and deployment of a UN stabilisation force in Lebanon in order to ease the tensions. However, with the USA and UK having categorically refused to back a ceasefire, it is unlikely that this proposal would see the light of the day. 

US imperialism and its allies have always portrayed the conflict in West Asia as originating from the terrorist attacks by Palestinian and other Arab groups. Emboldened by this, the Israeli prime minister declared in parliament, “we will fight with all the strength we are capable of. We will strike anyone who would strike at us and any terrorist infrastructure, until Hezbollah and Hamas cease attacking us.” (read until they are destroyed).

As repeatedly stated in these columns, the truth of the matter lies in Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories and its intransigence to vacate them. If terrorist attacks on Israel continue after Israel vacates all occupied territories and allows the fructification of the state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, as decided in innumerable UN resolutions, then the whole world would condemn such terrorist attacks and support Israel. However, as long as Israel refuses to do this there can be no other conclusion drawn than the fact that it is Israel which by denying the Palestinians their legitimate right to a homeland is the cause and provocation for such attacks. That Israel has been able to do this with impunity (it is the one country which has violated UN Security Council resolutions the most in the world) is primarily due to the support of US imperialism and its allies. 

US imperialism’s support to Israel at this juncture also betrays certain hidden agendas that it is seeking to achieve. First, this attack is bound to lead to the intensification of the classic contradiction in the Arab world. While the ruling governments would be divided, the unity at the level of the people would be consolidated against Israel and US imperialism. Already, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have criticised the Hezbollah and not Israel drawing accolades from president Bush and allies at the G8 summit. Further, US imperialism trapped as it is in its military occupation of Iraq is seeking to relieve itself of remaining there (having achieved its objective of plundering the country of its oil riches) by seeking a three-way dismemberment between the Kurds, the Shias and the Sunnis. The trifurcation of present-day Iraq will to an extent weaken, US imperialism hopes, Arab nationalism and hence be of immediate benefit to Israel.

Secondly, having not been able to succeed in the unfolding of its blueprint to take Iran along the Iraqi road US imperialism may well use Israel as a proxy to mount attacks on Arab countries and seek to draw Iran into the conflict. Iran and Syria were countries named in the initial declaration of the `axis of evil’ by president Bush. Already, Syria is being targeted and a worldwide propaganda is being mounted that Iran is aiding the Hezbollah.

All these clearly indicate to the fact that what the world is witnessing in West Asia today is no momentary conflagration. Israel and US imperialism seem to be having a larger agenda which will once again push the world into interminable conflict. 

Condemnable as it is, this unilateral war unleashed by Israel, supported by US imperialism and its allies, will have to be resisted by a world wide movement of people’s solidarity with the Palestinians and against the perpetrators of death, misery and hegemonism. Such solidarity in India must be strengthened and pressure must be brought upon the Indian government to suspend its purchases of military equipment from Israel forthwith. India is the second largest buyer of Israeli arms in the world. India at this juncture cannot be seen as financing the Israeli offensive.

Long Live the Palestinian People’s Struggle for Their Homeland.