The Palestinian resistance has forced the Israeli apartheid regime to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza. This ceasefire agreement is a significant achievement won by the bravery, sacrifice and unity of the Palestinian resistance, bolstered by the patriotic forces in Yemen, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and, until recently, Syria.
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization commends the Palestinian resistance in its steadfast fight for national liberation from U.S. imperialism and the U.S.-backed Israeli occupation, as well as the accomplishments of the resistance in this last period. We see this ceasefire as an advance that brings us closer to the end of the Israeli occupation.
This ceasefire agreement comes after at least 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when the genocide in Gaza began. When the Zionists invaded Lebanon, they added at least another 4000 Lebanese to that death toll. For the last 16 months, the Zionist war criminal regime has embarked on a campaign of genocide in order to put down the resistance forces that rose up on October 7 to defy the occupation. There was no hospital the Israelis would not bomb, no school nor refugee camp nor shelter that the Israelis would not destroy. They burned down villages and schools, blocked the entrance of all food, water and medicine, destroyed utilities and other necessities, bombed Gaza for months on end, and set tents full of babies and children on fire. Even now Israel is still committing massacres.
The Israelis have failed. After 16 months of genocide, massacres, starvation, and all manner of atrocities, the U.S.-backed apartheid regime has not met any of its objectives. Not only did they fail to defeat the pro-Palestine forces in the region, this ceasefire agreement flies in the face of Netanyahu’s so-called “red line” conditions. According to this ceasefire agreement, the Zionists must withdraw totally from the Gaza Strip, allow displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, release political prisoners in the thousands – including all women and children under 19 – and give a list upfront of Israeli captives, all of which were “red lines” for Netanyahu that he now has to concede.
Meanwhile, the heroism of the people of Palestine has shed a light on the brutality of the occupation. Millions have marched all around the world to call for a free Palestine. In the Middle East, people still march in the hundreds of thousands. Israel’s standing in the world is more isolated than ever. The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in September 2024 for a resolution that demands Israel “brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence.” The International Criminal Court deems Netanyahu a criminal and has even put out a warrant for his arrest.
This ceasefire agreement is an achievement and can put the brakes on a dire situation in Gaza. That said, we are cognizant that the Israeli occupation continues in full force in the West Bank, that the massacres are continuing, and that the Israelis could violate this agreement, as they have previous ones. Even now, the massacres in Gaza continue and over 100 have died so far since the ceasefire agreement was brought forward on January 15.
The Zionists continue to have a presence in parts of south Lebanon, occupy even more of Syria, and of course continue to occupy the West Bank. Furthermore, as Trump prepares to take office, he and his new administration look towards Iran and sound the drums of war. The last time Trump was president, the U.S. military launched air strikes on Iraq and assassinated the esteemed Iranian major general and war hero Qassem Soleimani. More US. .aggression in the Middle East is coming, and the fight to free Palestine is far from over.
All the bombs, fighter jets, training and chemical weapons used by Israel are bankrolled by the United States government. Even as U.S. workers struggle to pay rent and buy groceries, the $8 billion-plus aid packages to Israel just keep coming. They came steadily from the Biden administration, and we expect them to keep coming under Trump. The White House funds this project because ultimately, the Israeli apartheid regime is a watchdog for U.S. interests in the region.
We in the FRSO believe that Israel has no right to exist. It exists on stolen land and borrowed time. We cheer on the day that its existence comes to an end, and we will do everything in our power to hasten that on.
We salute the Palestinian freedom fighters and the forces of resistance in the Middle East in achieving this ceasefire. We say no to U.S. war and aggression in the Middle East, whether it is in Yemen, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq or Syria. We call for a free Palestine and an end to all U.S. aid to Israel. We stand in solidarity with the forces of resistance in their fight to end Israeli occupation and U.S. imperialism, and we will keep standing with them in the many fights to come.
