06) TIME FOR PALESTINIAN FREEDOM

People's Voice Editorial

As this issue goes to press, events in the Middle East continue to unfold rapidly. Pressure is mounting on Israel to step back from its apartheid-style domination of the Palestinians.

     Within days, the second Freedom Flotilla is expected to sail, with the goal of breaking Israel's inhumane and illegal naval blockade of Gaza. We salute the courageous Flotilla activists, including those on the Tahrir (Liberation), purchased through the collective contributions of thousands of supporters in Canada.

     The Flotilla and the recent marches by Palestinians upon the borders of Israel are powerful expressions of global rejection of the Zionist project of ever-expanding occupation. Even the President of the United States, Israel's most important ally, has called to accept the 1967 borders as a starting point for genuine negotiations.

     Barack Obama's recent statements mark a potentially important geopolitical shift, but peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved without justice. In particular, the relevant resolutions of the United Nations on this conflict must be accepted by Israel and its U.S. imperialist protector. The vast expansion of Israeli settlements into Palestinian territories must be ended. The Palestinians driven out of their ancestral homes and lands during and after the Zionist terrorist Nakba of 1948 must have the right of return. The status of East Jerusalem as the capital of a truly independent Palestinian state must be recognized.

     Today, the Harper government stands virtually alone as a defender of the most viciously anti-Palestinian elements of the Israeli state. This policy does nothing to win peace, or even to advance its alleged aims of protecting Israel. Solidarity with the Palestinian people must be combined with stronger efforts to reverse Canada's shameful policy of unconditional support for the murderous Netanyahu regime.

(The above article is from the June 1-15, 2011, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)