by justpeace87

for Palestinian Land Day

Statement of the ILPS

ILPS commemorates Palestinian Land Day in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle for self-determination against Zionist settler-colonialism actively seizing their land and attempting to exterminate them. In the face of the renewed genocidal offensive by the Zionist entity, we call on members to militantly stand with the Palestinian people and their resistance in their fight to end the occupation of their historic land.

First commemorated in 1976 following a general strike in which 6 Palestinians were massacred by the Zionist entity while protesting land stolen from the Arab villages of Sakhalin and Arraba, Palestinian Land Day has stood as a day of national unity of Palestinians for the demands of the return of their land, the end of the Zionist occupation and settlements, and the right of return for Palestinians. At the end of the day, the struggle for Palestinian self-determination is a struggle for their land against Zionism and U.S. imperialism.

Since the Balfour Declaration in 1917, British and then U.S. imperialism has supported and used Zionism as a tool to dispossess the Palestinian people of their land in their attempts to carve up West Asia. Sanctioned in the UN’s Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947 and enacted by the Zionist settlers through the Nakba in 1948, half of the Palestinian population was displaced and dispossessed of their land. Since then, the Zionist entity supported fully by the new hegemon—U.S. imperialism—has continued to violently uproot more Palestinian people and occupy more of their land with aims to annex the West Bank, Gaza, and whole countries in West Asia through its aspirations for a ‘Greater Israel’. The continued barbaric imperialist control by the U.S. and Zionist occupation of Palestine is based on the significance of West Asia’s massive reserves of fossil fuels, but also strategic trade routes critical for transporting plundered resources from Africa and the Asia-Pacific to Europe.

In general, imperialism will always aim to expel the oppressed and toiling peoples from their land in order to deprive them of their livelihood and self-determination so they cannot act as a united political force against their oppressors. This is why the imperialists support and create fascist puppet and settler states such as the Zionist entity, which has a messianic drive to separate the people from their land and whose main ideology is to exterminate the people at all costs to do this. Land is life and central to the struggle of the Palestinian people alongside those in the countryside in the colonies and semi-colonies across the world for national and social liberation.

Now, with an over year-long genocide conducted by the Zionist entity with the full support of U.S. imperialism that has spilled over to Lebanon and Syria after the Al-Aqsa Flood, the demands that Palestinian Land Day stands on must be propagated internationally to isolate the Zionist entity and weaken a limb of imperialism in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Now, more than ever, the peoples across the world must take the streets and show unconditional solidarity with the people of Palestine and their demand for sovereignty, ending the occupation, and a right to return to their historic land.

Condemn the end of the Gaza Ceasefire

by justpeace87

Statement of the ILPS

ILPS militantly condemns the continuation of indiscriminate airstrikes by the U.S.-Zionist entity and the deliberate engineering of the end of the Gaza ceasefire. This is part of the war of extermination against the Palestinian people that the U.S.-Zionist entity has continuously pursued to advance its expansionist settler-colonial project. The Palestinian people and its unified resistance continue to stand strong in the face of genocide and will continue to resist until the Zionist occupation has ceased to exist.

In the last 24 hours, more than 400 displaced Palestinian civilians have been killed while asleep in their tents in Gaza from the indiscriminate airstrikes, with at least 560 wounded. Since October 7th, 2023, there have been at least 70,000 Palestinian people killed with over 1.8 million displaced by this genocide. Beyond the Zionist entity’s genocide against the Palestinian people, their bloody hands have killed 2,720 Lebanese people with over 1.4 million displaced by their invasion of Lebanon since October 1st, 2024.

The end of the ceasefire was engineered with the full cooperation of the United States, not the resistance forces of Palestine as the imperialist press is propagating. In the words of the Zionist entity’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, “The operation in Gaza is gradual, and we have planned it over the past few weeks since the appointment of the new Chief of Staff [of the IDF, Eyal Zamir].” These developments are not surprising, as the Zionist entity was blocking humanitarian aid and withholding Palestinian hostages since the beginning of the ceasefire deal, but this new surprise offensive by the Zionist entity with consultation and support from the U.S. shows a further commitment to a war of extermination against the Palestinian people for their settler-colonial project and marks the U.S.’s additional focus against Iran and the Axis of Resistance in their imperialist strategy.

The surprise attack on Gaza, with clear intents of preparations for further escalation, the military and political changes in Syria, and renewed attacks on Yemen are directed by the U.S. to a geopolitical recalibration of political balance, with ultimate intent of weakening/eliminating Iran, who for many decades has remained one of the strongest, if not the strongest resistance against US imperialism.

The Zionist entity and its allies have constantly broken its ceasefire with Hezbollah by continuing to shoot civilians, conducting airstrikes, bombing infrastructure, and not ending their occupation of part of Southern Lebanon alongside manufacturing tensions at the Lebanese-Syrian borders in order to destabilize Lebanon and pull Hezbollah into a side battle so they can occupy more of Mount Hermon in sovereign Syrian land. The Zionist entity’s and U.S.’s support of the HTS-led coup in Syria has killed 4,711 people, including 1,805 executed in HTS’s ethnic cleansing campaign since December 8th, 2024. The Zionists have enflamed ethnic tensions to secure control in the Druze-minority areas and are opportunistically using the ongoing Syria-Lebanon border clashes to weaken Hezbollah and keep them from intervening in solidarity with Gaza.

The U.S. Central Command has also engaged in naval warfare and airstrikes against Yemen and their blockade against the Zionist entity, killing over 50 people and wounding dozens in recent days. This comes as Ansar Allah has resumed its naval blockade on ships and fired against U.S.-Zionist military structures in solidarity with the people of Gaza. In addition, Trump has stated that Iran must be ‘held responsible’ for ‘leading’ Ansar Allah’s defensive actions, threatening “great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there.”

The death toll, displacement, and destruction caused by the U.S.-Zionist entity alliance is only rising because of their inability to accomplish any military objectives. In contrast, he resistance has grown in numbers, refilling its ranks with the full support of its people, who know that their existence and victory can only be assured by ending the Zionist occupation and ridding U.S. imperialism from the region. Now, more than ever, the peoples across the world must take the streets and show unconditional solidarity with the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, the wider West Asia, and the united Axis of Resistance.

Signed,

International League of Peoples’ Struggle

End the Palestine Occupation!

by justpeace87

END APARTHEID AND OCCUPATIONS!

Statement of the Just Peace Committee, February 2025

Just Peace Committee (JPC) joins the millions of good-hearted people who’ve been protesting the genocide and occupation of Palestine by the Israeli state, supplied and supported by the US and other states including Turkey and Jordan. Support for genocide is reprehensible. We welcome the ceasefire in the Palestinian territories started on January 19, a tremendous achievement. We are relieved that many Palestinian prisoners and resistance captives are being safely returned home from Gaza.

JPC recognizes the legal right to resist genocide and occupation. Resistance is not terrorism. We call for an immediate end to apartheid and occupation. We want justice for Palestinians and against Israel and all those complicit.

Hands off Palestinian territories!             Hands off Lebanon!                       Hands off Syria!

The US is operating a command post in Jerusalem to direct its puppets, the Palestinian Authority. The PA is hostile to the Palestinian resistance forces in the West Bank. Canada has been directly participating in this nefarious activity with Operation Proteus. Canada and US Out! The West Bank settlements are illegal and must be emptied, with Israeli residents leaving immediately.

The US has military bases throughout West Asia and Canada several military operations. We say: Canada, out of West Asia! Canada, out of NATO! Shut down the foreign bases!

The JPC further calls for an end to Israeli, Turkish and US expansionism and occupations in West Asia and all the support and assistance from neighbours. It condemns Israel’s armed incursions into Lebanon and occupation of part of Syria. We support resistance to the foreign aggressors and occupiers in Syria. The US, Israel and NATO allies are overseeing the total destruction of Palestinian territories and Syria as they have done in Iraq and Libya. We oppose the regime change programs of the US, all of NATO and its many partners, who engage in demolition and chaos creation in order to quell independent governments and independence movements.

JPC strongly opposes the criminalization of protesters and journalists who speak out against genocide and occupation, and support resistance to genocide and occupation.

While many businesses are boycotting and divesting from Israel, many companies are profiting from war, occupation and genocide. No to war profiteering and a war economy!

Build the Opposition to Occupation and Genocide!

A peace process for West Asia cannot be led by the USA which is a belligerent in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, its bombing of Lebanon and Yemen and its overthrow of the government of Syria. All parties to and their terms of ceasefires must be respected. All parties must work to make a just, comprehensive and lasting peace settlement based on numerous UN resolutions on the conflict and international law. The process must be guided first by the wishes of the Palestinian people and presided over and ratified by the UN as an international authority.

The international movement to defend and assist Palestinians and all victims of occupation, apartheid and genocide and inform the public of the truth must carry on and grow. We must together work to stop militarization and the war industry. This is a long-term struggle against colonialism and neo-colonialism. It is necessary to achieve just and lasting peace.

 https://justpeace/blog                               www.facebook.com/jpcvancouver               justpeace87@yahoo.com

The Heroic Struggle in West Asia

by justpeace87

THE HEROIC PEOPLES’ STRUGGLE WILL DEFEAT THE US-ZIONIST-TURKISH ONSLAUGHT ON WEST ASIA

The International League of Peoples’ Struggle salutes the brave sacrifice and resistance of the Palestinian and Lebanese people and condemns the expansion of regional conflict into Syria by imperialist and fascist proxy forces. As the genocidal US-Zionist-Turkish alliance unleashes wave upon wave of attacks against the people, we remain steadfast in our solidarity with all progressive forces in the region as US imperialism lets loose its attack dogs to slow its inevitable decline.

After many months of sacrifice by the Lebanese people, in which Hezbollah’s declared “support front” for the Palestinian resistance in Gaza was turned into its own front for the defense of Lebanese sovereignty, the resistance agreed to a ceasefire with the Zionist entity. This deal was brought to the table after the Zionists were unable to achieve any of their objectives in Lebanon despite indiscriminately killing well over 3,000 people in the country since October 7, 2023, including some of Hezbollah’s key leaders like the late Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. The settlers to the north of occupied Palestine have not been able to return home despite the hollow promises of the Zionist government. Hezbollah also proved that its attacks could hit deep into Tel Aviv, destroying military sites and forcing settlers to flee to shelters on a daily basis. The Lebanese resistance remains strong, and they now have the hard won space to recuperate to carry on their fight. In fact, it has already been reported that the Zionists committed at least 50 violations of the ceasefire through continued missile attacks, shooting at civilians including journalists, and preventing Lebanese people from returning to their homes.

Regardless of how long the ceasefire lasts due to Zionist provocations, it is clear that the Zionists knew they would expend too many resources in a war in Lebanon while the genocide in Gaza is still taking place, and they saw that the resistance would not back down, nor were they losing support among the people. Instead, the US special envoy to Lebanon pressured the Zionists into making a deal due to the unwavering strength of the resistance. This sacrifice of the people in their fight for liberation is as much an inspiration as the fight of the Palestinian people, and the entire region shines bright in the beacon of their resistance.

As the Lebanon ceasefire was reaching its start, a new reactionary wave was unleashed on Syria from Turkey. Terrorist mercenaries trained by Turkey and armed with US-made weapons stormed through Syria’s Idlib Province and reached Aleppo within just a few days. These mercenaries belong to the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a reorganized fragment of the previous US-trained and al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front whose majority membership would go on to form the Islamic State terrorist organization, as well as the so-called Syrian National Army, made up of former fighters of the Free Syrian Army, a group armed and trained by the US and Turkey and financed by US-provided funds. Their sole purpose was to take advantage of the Arab Spring in which people across West Asia and North Africa took to the streets to demand an end to political repression and economic crisis, and to inflame a civil war to topple the Bashar al-Assad regime that stood in opposition to US imperialism in the region and is a close ally of US rival Russia.

The destructive path cut through Idlib and into Aleppo by these US-Turkish and pro-Zionist mercenaries exposes their anti-people interests and false claims of wanting to free the Syrian people from repression. They have ambushed civilians and beheaded soldiers and civilians alike. They have blockaded key roads such as the highway to Damascus, which has led to hamletting of communities and cut them off from food and aid. They have enacted indiscriminate violence against national minorities such as the Kurds. It is clear from these actions that these forces are mere proxies for Turkey as the fascist Erdogan regime seeks to take advantage of the chaotic genocidal war of the Zionists and stave off internal crisis at home while enacting its own genocidal war of extermination against the Kurdish people fighting for their national liberation. It also took advantage of a key moment when Russia, Syria’s key military ally, is mired in its proxy war with US-NATO forces that the US provoked to weaken Russia in Ukraine.

In summary, the outstanding heroic performance of the resistance both in Gaza and Lebanon, which prevented Israel from realizing its declared objectives of its war has forced Imperialism to unleash its plan B in order to cut all routes which might be used to reinforce all needed resources in this decisive war. Turkish military forces and its puppets in Northern Syria as well as US agent forces were used to execute their plot to force the Syrian regime to cut relations with the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance or be in danger of being internally defeated and the Syrian nation and state to be partitioned and disintegrate into warring groups. This plot is being now defeated by the awareness of the Syrian people and the steadfastness of the Syrian army and its allies in the battlefield. 

The war is escalating in Syria, yet the balance of forces is moving in the right direction against the Imperialists, the Zionists and the Turkish regime. As US imperialism wages its violent strategy to counter its ultimate regional rival Iran by letting loose its puppet and satellite states against the people and independent states of the region, let us remain patient and steadfast in struggle as the people, the true makers of history, fight on to free themselves from imperialism and all reaction. Their resistance is a beacon to our own resistance, and our solidarity in the midst of our own struggles for liberation is the greatest gift we can offer.

For reference: Len Cooper, ILPS Chairperson

Statement of the International League of Peoples’ Struggles, Dec. 03, 2024

No to NATO!

by justpeace87

NO TO NATO! CWPJN Statement on NATO’s 70th Annual Parliamentary Assembly

in Montreal Nov. 22-25, 2024

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the U.S.-led, nuclear-armed, military alliance that was founded by twelve countries, including Canada, in 1949, is holding its 70th Annual Parliamentary Assembly in Montreal. In the last 25 years, NATO has left a trail of death and destruction from its military interventions in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Libya, and now Ukraine. These interventions have led to failed states, environmental and climate damage, violence against women, and humanity’s largest refugee crisis. NATO allies have wasted trillions of dollars on wars and weapons to enrich the (mainly US) arms industry while exacerbating conflict around the world.

NATO DRIVES MILITARY SPENDING, IMPOVERISHES CANADIANS, WIDENS WARS

In 2014, NATO allies pledged to increase their military spending to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP). According to NATO’s latest Defence Expenditures report, over the past ten years, Canada’s military spending has increased 100% from $20 billion in 2014 to over $40 billion in 2024, which is 1.4% of GDP. It now wants to spend $41 billion a year. Military spending diverts crucial resources away from public needs putting more Canadians into poverty and homelessness. NATO bureaucrats are trying to establish the 2% ceiling as a floor and raise the ceiling to 3%, which the media trumpets.

NATO weapons prolong the war in Ukraine and the genocide in Gaza. Since 2022 alone, Canada has committed a staggering $17 billion CAD in financial and military aid to Ukraine to prolong a NATO proxy war against Russia, while rejecting negotiations to end that war. NATO calls Israel “its vital ally in the Middle East”, conducts military exercises with Israel, and has a robust trade with it in arms and weapons research. Canada and all NATO members continue to oversee contracts for weapons for Israel, a nuclear-armed state, despite its genocide against the Palestinian people, its illegal and merciless bombardment of Lebanon, and its recent attack on Iran. At the same time, however, a survey by the Institute for Global Affairs found a majority of people inside NATO countries want negotiations to end the war in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

NATO’S RECKLESS NUCLEAR GAMBLES IN UKRAINE & WEST ASIA

Humanity today is facing its most perilous nuclear threats since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 in two theatres of war. NATO has recklessly escalated the stakes in its proxy war with Russia over Ukraine. Three NATO countries – the US, UK, and France – recently announced intentions to install in Ukraine long-range missile systems capable of striking deep into Russia. NATO’s new Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, approves their use. Because targeting for these missile launches would be done by the U.S. and NATO allies, the Russian government considers such attacks acts of war against Russia and has threatened to retaliate onNATO targets. NATO leaders are thus gambling – with our lives – that the Russian government is bluffing. Trudeau recently endorsed the gamble. However, if Russia does retaliate, NATO will immediately invoke Article 5 for a collective reprisal, which puts the world at the brink of nuclear war. The stakes could not be higher!

In West Asia, NATO continues to support the State of Israel whose attack on Iran is likely to ignite a wider regional war and might also lead to a nuclear confrontation between the great powers. We are poorly served by the Trudeau government, the opposition parties, and mainstream media, none of whom has adequately warned Canadians of the existential danger of NATO’s nuclear brinkmanship in Ukraine and West Asia. Prime Minister Trudeau himself has never called President Putin to find out what it would take to end the Ukrainian conflict, nor has he exerted any serious pressure on Israeli PM Netanyahu or on US President Biden to stop the war in West Asia. As well, it is because of our membership in NATO that Canada won’t join the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

WE NEED PEACEBUILDING AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, NOT NATO

Canada can pull back from nuclear brinkmanship by supporting negotiations to end the wars and joining the nuclear ban treaty. As well, Canada must also create a two-way arms embargo against Israel, support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and a lasting political solution between Palestine and Israel. The Trudeau government must condemn Israel’s illegal invasion of Lebanon and suspend diplomatic relations with Israel until it withdraws from that country and ceases to attack other countries in West Asia. Canada must cooperate and build peace with all countries, so that humanity can achieve the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Only 32 Western countries are part of NATO. We can build peace and trust through diplomacy, international law, conflict prevention, and disarmament. It’s time for Canada to withdraw from NATO and work cooperatively with all countries.

SUPPORT THE COUNTER SUMMIT IN MONTREAL !

The Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network is organizing the Counter-Summit (to NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly) in Montreal with the participation of local antiwar and social justice organizations on Sunday, November 24th. To register for and support the Counter Summit, click here: tinyurl.com/StopNATO . To join the Canada-Wide Weekend of Action vs NATO, contact the Canada-Wide Peace & Justice Network: peaceandjusticenetwork.ca @CanPeaceJustice

SHUT DOWN THE ABBOTSFORD AIRSHOW!

by justpeace87

STOP WAR! STOP THE INDUSTRY OF DEATH!

SHUT DOWN THE ABBOTSFORD AIRSHOW!

REMEMBER HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI!

CANADA, OUT OF NATO!

As peace loving citizens and residents of Canada who want an end to war, we members of 50 groups collectively known as the Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network, strongly oppose the Abbotsford Airshow. Events such as this serve to normalize and expand the arms trade, aggressive military policies, growing military budgets and aggressive military engagements.

It is especially troubling that the Abbotsford Airshow, which runs at the Abbotsford Airport from August 9 to 11, is taking place just after the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, August 6, and opening on that of Nagasaki, August 9. Public administrations and businesspeople should be organizing mass commemorations of the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear explosions and denouncing war and all weapons of mass destruction. Instead, Canadian and US military air forces are celebrating the technology of war including nuclear capable tech and military action at this show.

The Abbotsford Show is advertised as a family-friendly event or merely a benign display of aviation technology where young children are to admire the machinery of death by air. It is really a military event to promote war and war machinery. It teaches youth to overlook the destruction of life that is escalating around the world as tensions between the biggest powers grow and militarization is being ramped up in which yet again hundreds of thousands of civilians are being wounded and killed. There should be mass events to express the common yearning for world peace, demilitarization, cease-fires in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan and all conflicts and negotiations to end them in a just way. Warfare is not entertainment!

In addition to the Canadian Snowbirds, the show is demonstrating the RCAF CF-18 Hornet jet fighter. There will be an RCAF drone demonstration on the Friday of the show. Both the drones and CF-18 are currently active. The US Airforce will be a major presence with a presentation of a training plane (USAF F-22 Raptor) and the USAF  F-16 Fighting Falcon which are also being deployed around the world.

We are campaigning to stop the Canadian government’s plans to acquire of 88 fighter jets (F-35) for at least $70 billion. We underscore that such fuel-intensive craft contributes massively to climate disaster. We stand against the purchase of armed drones, too, as well as surveillance aircraft and IT.

Just as we staunchly protested the CANSEC arms trade fair, we adamantly protest the Abbotsford Airshow (and the national airshow in Toronto), as it is characteristically a military exhibition intended to promote Canada’s military materials and engagement. We oppose the arms trade and policies and actions of military aggression.

Signed: The Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network (July 2024)

http://www.peaceandjusticenetwork.ca

Resist NATO

by justpeace87

Resist US-NATO Aggression and War Provocations! Defend Peoples’ Struggle for Rights and Liberation! NATO, as the world’s largest US-led military alliance, represents one of the greatest imperialist threats to the oppressed and working peoples of the world. Under NATO’s banner, imperialist nations invade, destabilize, and plunder the globe in search of resources to further enrich their power. The Resist NATO Coalition was created by several anti-imperialist organizations uniting to expose and organize against the imperialist workings of NATO during their summit in Washington, D.C. this July. NATO acts as the machinery through which the class interests of the member countries’ and the U.S.’s elite are achieved by stripping the land of natural resources.  

What Is NATO?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established on April 4th, 1949 during the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty by twelve members Belgium, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, France, Portugal, Italy, United Kingdom, and the United States. The founding principle was to counter Soviet Russian “aggression”. In reality, NATO is an illegitimate aggressive structure in the service of Western imperialism with a focus on instigating destabilization in governments who have the gall to resist the status quo that they are projecting on to Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the rest of Europe.

Resist NATO Campaign

The NATO summit, held 9-11 July 2024 in Washington DC, was marked by the 75th anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in DC—the founding of NATO. Summits are meetings of the highest level of the North Atlantic Council, composed of heads of state and government officials. At these key points in NATO’s decision-making process, major policies are introduced, initiatives are launched, new members are brought in. This year focused on Ukraine’s membership in NATO and marked the largest NATO-led military exercises since the Cold War in hosting the Steadfast Defender exercises with over 90,000 troops. Mobilizing to expose and oppose the NATO summit is applying our collective strength to reject the anti-people convening of warmongers coordinating imperialist violence across the globe. 

What is the historical role of NATO in advancing US-led war?

NATO was founded in 1949, not as an instrument of peace, but as a weapon of Western imperialists to fight the Cold War and has remained that way up until today. From its founding moment, NATO was an aggressive military apparatus to coordinate the police, military and intelligence apparati among the ten founding West European member countries (plus U.S. and Canada) under U.S. command. The past several decades has seen NATO’s steady expansion, making clear its role as an imperialist weapon against the working class. 

NATO functions to promote the military power of the member imperialist countries. This comes in the form of supporting their sanctions, military exercises, as well as cyberwarfare and mass surveillance efforts. NATO also lobbies for the increased engorgement of the military budgets and spending of member states. Despite the stated purpose of NATO being to “guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means,” it is truly the US at the helm of NATO. The US has access to any NATO military base across the globe. The US also acts as the primary decision maker for NATO missions, therefore having the power of NATO’s member states at its fingertips for imperialist ventures. Without this power, the United States would not be the main imperialist military aggressor in the world. While NATO claims to be for ensuring the security of Europe, the true goal of this alliance is to militarily unite the US and European countries to serve the interests of US imperialism. This is done both domestically by creating and supporting fascist groups to attack and isolate the communist and social democratic organizations in western European countries, and externally via Article 5 which enables NATO member countries to draw other members into fighting their wars, as seen in the NATO invasion and occupation of Afghanistan initiated by the US. The interests of monopoly capitalists are carried out through NATO by attacking revolutionary opposition and backing the exploitation of semicolonial countries by military force.

What is the current role of NATO in advancing US-led war?

NATO acts as an armed wing of US-led war and mobilizes its member nations to instigate and militarily support inter-imperialist conflicts, recently between US-NATO and Russia, and between US and China. NATO continues to support so-called “Israel” as the main outpost of US imperialism in the Middle East. A “strategic priority” that is rising in importance is countering the influence of China. The US is threatened by China’s growing control of supply chains, infrastructure projects, tech and industry sectors as it narrows the US sphere of influence, and pushes NATO to label China a “strategic threat.” The “NATO 2030” Report broadens the originally Euro-American alliance to have a global scope and to shape the international order. NATO is approaching this by building military partnerships with Indo-Pacific countries (Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Republic of Korea) focused on intelligence activities, military exercises, and investments in weapons and bases. Increased militarization serves to prepare this region for supporting a US-led war against China. NATO has a global counter-terrorism strategy which develops and promotes technologies for surveillance against non-state groups, exporting the US counterterrorism strategy internationally. NATO is threatened by national liberation movements which would end US plunder of their resources and labor. These movements are labeled as terrorism and are declared as “the most direct asymmetric threat” NATO faces. 

From the Resist NATO Campaign educational toolkit. https://www.ilps.us/resistnato

HANDS OFF SUDAN!

by justpeace87

Statement of ILPS Commission 4

HANDS OFF SUDAN!

The United Nations has reported that the Sudanese are suffering the worst food crisis. This is caused by United Arab Emirates (UAE) and USA backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacking state forces as of April 15, 2023. ILPS Commission 4 demands that the UAE and USA keep their hands off Sudan and respect Sudan’s sovereignty.

This new war has upset the peace finally achieved after years of fighting and consequent mass displacement and suffering. A new democratic government, elected by the people, has been taking an independent path and developing the economy.

As watanserb.org reports [Khaled el Sadi on February 14, 2023], Sudanese, American and European officials verify that RSF has been receiving funding, military, financial and political support from the UAE. One such report was from the Strasbourg Policy Centre forum titled “The Role of the UAE in War Crimes in Sudan.“ One participating speaker said, “…the UAE is working to destabilize Sudan by supporting the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ‘Hemeti,’ who attacks the legitimate government.” The forum further revealed that the UAE may be retaliating against the legitimate Sudanese Chief of Armed Forces who had expelled 15 Emerati diplomats. Libyan Marshal Khalifa Haftar and Russia’s Wagner Group also have connections to RSF.

Medical and relief workers are under attack in Sudan, according to the World Health Organization and the Aid Worker Security Database [el Sadi of watanserb.org]. Thousands of civilians have been killed and eight million displaced, states the UN World Programme, while UNICEF reports that “14 million children are in desperate need of assistance.” [March 6, 2024 https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147287] The World Food Programme adds that 18 million people are experiencing food insecurity and five million are starving. Cautious of incoming vehicles, Sudan state has been refusing food delivery trucks entry while humanitarian aid workers in the country are under attack.

In the opinion of analyst Sami Hamdi, the US and UAE share the goal of defeating Arab and Muslim independence and liberation movements. They do not want the Sudanese people to determine their own path and veer away from the aims of the Arab monarchies and US imperialism. They stir up fear of terrorism, create false narratives and make false promises while feigning sympathy for the Palestinian civilians, although they balk at taking action to stop the occupation and genocide because they are helping Israeli Zionism keep down resistance in the region. [Thinking Muslim podcast on March 7, 2024, “The UAE’s Bloody War on Sudan with Sami Hamdi” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piURusBS8T0]

Commission 4 calls upon the anti-imperialist and just peace movements to expose and oppose the UAE and USA interference and proxy wars against the Sudanese people and sovereignty.

UAE and USA, Out of Africa!

Shut down AFRICOM!

Stop supporting terrorism!

Long live the people’s resistance and struggles for justice and liberation!

Long live international solidarity!

Commission 4 is for just peace and against wars of aggression and counterrevolution, and opposes nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and all weapons of mass destruction. peace4@vcn.bc.ca

Uphold ICJ on Israel’s Genocide

by justpeace87 
Enforce the ICJ Ruling Against Israel’s Genocide, Hold the U.S. Accountable and Complicit

ILPS Statement (31 January 2024)

Together with the Palestine people, the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) welcomes the January 26 interim ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the emergency measures on its genocide case against Israel over its war in the Gaza Strip.  South Africa brought the case to the ICJ last December 2023 under
the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

While the ruling fell short of calling for an immediate ceasefire, it ordered six provisional measures including for Israel to refrain from acts under the Genocide Convention, prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to genocide, and take immediate and effective measures to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. The Court also ordered Israel to preserve evidence
of genocide and to submit a report to the Court, within one month, of all measures taken in line with its order.

Israel called the decision a "disgrace" and insists on continuing its war escalated from decades of occupation, apartheid, persecution and mass slaughter of Palestinians. The United States, who has been supporting Israel economically, politically, diplomatically and militarily, providing at least $3.8bn in military aid to Israel annually, washed its hands off the charges of genocide and dismissed
it as "unfounded".

In reality, the US is complicit in Israel's genocide. It has used its veto power several times in the UN Security Council to oppose a ceasefire and uses its influence on countries in the General Assembly to refrain from calling the mass atrocities of Israel as "genocide". The US used its agencies, the White House, State Department, Defense Department, National Security Agency, and mass media to spread
lies and cover up Israel's crimes like the bombing of hospitals. It is a crime of complicity in the genocide.

More than 26,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israel’s obliteration of Gaza with some 10,000 believed to be still missing under the rubble. At least 1.8 million Palestinians have been displaced and are deprived of access to adequate food, water, shelter, sanitation, and medical assistance. The population of
Gaza is starving. More than 300 have been killed and mass arrests of thousands continue in the West Bank and persecution continues in East Jerusalem, all occupied by Israel.

The ICJ ruling is a legal victory stemming from the millions of protesters throughout the world. The UN Security Council has failed. The UN General Assembly has failed.  Our only hope is on the militant social movements in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Pressure must be made to bear on the 153 governments who ratified the Genocide Convention to fulfill their obligations and enforce the ICJ ruling.  We must press our own governments to call for a ceasefire and thoroughly end Israel's Zionist occupation, stop the arms sales and military deals with Israel, and cut off all economic and diplomatic ties with the genocidal regime.  The boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel must be expanded and other social movements informed,
organized and mobilized to support Palestine.

As we demand our own governments to cease their support for the Israeli genocide, we must continue to support the just armed Palestinian resistance which is necessary to defend their land, people and self-determination from the Zionist occupation. Without armed resistance accompanied by peoples global support, the liberation of
Palestine will not be possible.  Armed struggle is legal in international law in resisting occupation.

The voice of the Palestinian resistance and fight for liberation against the US-Israel war is heard now more than ever before. We express our solidarity with them as we intensify our own struggles against imperialism and local reaction.

The ICJ ruling is one victory.  Let us build on this and gain more meaningful victories ahead until Palestine is truly free, from the river to the sea. ###

Len Cooper
ILPS Chairperson

STOP AERIAL BOMBINGS!

by justpeace87

PEACE-LOVING YOUTH OF THE WORLD UNITE TO STOP AERIAL BOMBINGS IN PALESTINE, INDIA, MYANMAR, AND THE PHILIPPINES

[SIGN THE UNITY STATEMENT HERE: bit.ly/StopAerialBombings]

Imperialists and their fascist cohorts across the world have launched indiscriminate aerial bombings on communities, hospitals, schools, churches, and other civilian infrastructure. Despite being a war crime that targets mostly civilians, aerial bombings, shelling, and strafing are being used more and more as a primary instrument of terror by murderous governments led by Netanyahu in Israel, Modi in India, and Marcos Jr. in the Philippines.

  In occupied Palestine, the destruction and human toll caused by the aerial bombings have been given a spotlight on the international stage. Since October 7, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have launched a nonstop campaign of aerial bombardment on Gaza and the West Bank. The death toll has now surpassed 13,000, including 5,000 children. Almost 1,800 more children are still missing under the rubble of razed buildings. 

  In India, an aerial bombing campaign in Bastar was launched in April 2023 targeting the border regions of Chattisgarh and Telengana for the fourth time in three consecutive years. The aerial drone attack was carried out in the villages of Madkanguda, Mettuguda, Bottethong, Sakleer, Madinaguda, Kannemerka, Pottemangam, Bottalanka, Rasappalli, Errapadu in Kishtaram and Pamed areas of Chhattisgarh state and killed a tribal woman named Pottam Gangi.

  In the Philippines, an aerial bombing campaign has battered the rural communities of Negros, Cagayan, Batangas, Kalinga, and other provinces since 2021. The new Marcos Jr. regime has inherited his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s fondness for aerial bombing. Within his first year as President, Marcos Jr. already tallied more than 7,000 victims of aerial bombings. The aerial bombings in Cagayan and Kalinga, in particular, are seen as a measure to pave the way for the construction of US bases in Northern Luzon.

  In Myanmar, the ruling junta has unleashed at least 643 airstrikes and drone strikes since the 2021 coup, killing 772 on the spot. This, together with the 871 shellings, has led to thousands of noncombatants’ deaths, especially affecting farmers, indigenous peoples, and rural food producers. These bombings have impacted Karenni, Sagaing, Chin and other states of the country. In the Karenni state, where over 84% of the population is now internally displaced, the Karen people, long fighting for their land rights, have borne the brunt of these violent activities.

  We see that under the cover of eradicating armed resistance, these fascist governments are wantonly committing war crimes in order to spread terror among the civilian populace. These attacks do not only cause immediate destruction of lives, but also long-term damage to irrigation systems and agricultural land of the targeted communities, which are mostly farmers.

  Youth are particularly affected by bombings and militarization, given the destruction of the communities they will inherit and causing harmful trauma that will stay with them for much of their lives. And yet, youth have always been at the forefront of fights for justice, from the anti-war struggles in support of the people of Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq among others. Youth have also led the world in all social justice movements, from farm worker justice campaigns, revolutionary student and workers movements and anti-racist struggles in all corners of the globe.

  We, the undersigned peace-loving organizations and individuals across the world, commit to the fight against indiscriminate aerial bombings. Governments must immediately stop these campaigns, conduct urgent, thorough, and impartial investigations, and provide support and rehabilitation for victims. We also condemn the imperialist United States for sponsoring these attacks on civilians through military aid and for supplying weapons to these anti-people governments.

International League of Peoples’ Struggle – Commission on Youth

National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates Youth (Philippines)

League of Filipino Students (Philippines)

Revolutionary Students Front (India)

Democratic Students’ Association (Kerala, India)

Palestinian Youth Movement

All Burma Federation of Students Union

Myanmar Student Organization

Asia Young Indigenous Peoples Network

Youth for Food Sovereignty 

Siklab Philippine Indigenous Youth

NetworkGempar Papua (West Papua)

Sulong UBC (Canada)

Anakbayan USA

State-Sponsored Hellfire

At least 2,905 State-sponsored bombings of indigenous and rural communities in the past three years alone.

See interactive map here– https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/fYNmA/1/  

Maps are in collaboration with Silenced Suffering, a campaign network against bombings

Israel bombed Palestinians 2476 times in 3 years.

The US-backed Israeli occupiers have bombed and killed nearly 15,000 Palestinians in the past three years, 9 in 10 of whom in the last two months alone.

See interactive map here– https://www.datawrapper.de/_/7qR7n/

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