Statement: Free Palestine!
The Philadelphia Young Communist League echoes the call to end the occupation of Palestine and stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people. For years, Palestinians in Gaza have endured sabotages on infrastructure that limits essential resources such as water and food, as well as harrowing violence that spares no man, woman, or child. Settler violence is not only condoned but encouraged by the Israeli ruling class. This, along with the restriction of movement, has turned Gaza into nothing short of an open air prison, roughly the size of our own city. The blockade of Gaza is not only a moral injustice but a violation of international law. Palestinians in Gaza are resisting the inhumane conditions of apartheid.
In the past week, the Netanyahu government has put those in Gaza under a total blockade of water, food, and electricity. Homes, schools, stores, even hospitals have been leveled by airstrikes, leading to mass death, displacement, and instability. The demand for Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza was followed by the bombing of the pathways designated as safe for evacuation. The level of bombardment Israel has unleashed on Gaza is now reportedly equivalent to the bombardment the U.S. unleashed on Afghanistan in one year.
The loss of civilian lives is mournful and a consequence of the continued Zionist occupation. The U.S. working class must address our government's role and responsibility in this senseless violence abroad. We must advocate for a ceasefire, a demand that the Biden administration and pro-Zionist forces are fighting to silence. An end to Zionist violence requires the Biden administration to halt the funding of Israel's military. In 2023 alone the United States has sent nearly $4 billion in weapons of war to Israel! The working class of this country are tired of seeing a well funded war machine trample on innocent people while simultaneously being denied healthcare, housing, and a dignified life.
We reject the Zionist hypocrisy which places the burden of peace on the colonized Palestinian people. Israel is a colonizing force, and resistance is justified in the face of an occupation that has lasted for decades. When right-wing politicians like Senators Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio urge Israel to “level” Gaza, they are inciting genocide. This islamophobic rhetoric has already cost the life of Wadea Al Fayoume, a six-year-old Palestinian-American child who was killed by his landlord in Chicago. Many of our neighbors in this city are Muslim, Arab, Sihk or members of communities that are targeted by the same indiscriminate racism that took Wadea’s life. Congress Members Dwight Evans, Brendan Boyle, and Mary Gay Scanlon who represent Philadelphia must listen to their constituents and join in the sponsorship of Congress member Tlaib’s Ceasefire Now Resolution and fight against the islamophobic rhetoric in Congress
Local press outlets must properly cover this crisis and its impacts on Philadelphians. While the press published stories on a pro-Israel march on October 16th, they failed to cover the thousands-strong Palestinian solidarity march on the 15th. We are also disturbed by stories of retaliation when media workers do speak in solidarity with Palestine. The firing of Philly Voice writer Jackson Frank demonstrates how pro-Israeli corporations chill workers’ freedom of speech–one of our country’s fundamental rights. Finally, we call on workers in the US and Philadelphia to demand that their unions, schools, and institutions boycott, divest, and sanction Israel. No more money for Israel’s crimes!