|
|
Statement on Israel's War of Aggression Against Palestine and Lebanon
By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chairperson, International Coordinating Committee
International League of Peoples' Struggle
24 July 2006
We, the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS), hereby strongly condemn Israel and the United States for the
recent barbaric attacks of the Israeli army on Palestine and Lebanon. Under the pretext of rescuing Israeli soldiers taken
captives by Hamas and Hizbollah, the Zionist Israel government has intensified its wars of aggression in Lebanon and Palestine.
These unbridled acts of international terrorism against the civilian populations are emboldened and supported by US imperialism.
In accordance with international law, the three soldiers captured by Hamas and Hizbollah are prisoners of war (POW). They
are not victims of kidnapping or hostaging, contrary to the claims of the US, Israel and some quarters in the western media.
The US and the Israeli government are using the Israeli soldiers as pawns in the drive of the US to dominate the Middle East.
In fact, the government of Ehud Olmert of Israel has refused to conduct any negotiations for the release of the captured
Israeli soldiers or for the exchange of POWS (Israel is known to hold more than 9,000 Palestinian prisoners). Instead, the
Olmert government ordered the attacks on Lebanese and Palestinian civilian populations. These barbaric attacks have
aggravated the already boiling and dangerous political and military situation in the Middle East.
Israel's war of aggression and further encroachment on the territories of Palestine and Lebanon, have caused the death
and wounding of thousands of civilians and the massive destruction of homes and villages, hospital and schools, water
and electric facilities, public buildings and offices, industrial complexes, airports, roads, bridges and other infrastructures.
In Lebanon, the attacks of the Israeli army against unarmed civilians have caused 362 civilians killed, more than 1,200 injured,
huge losses in industries and the displacement of 700,000 or 25% of Lebanese population. In Palestine, the people are
trapped by apartheid walls and are subjected to ruthless bombings.
The Israeli jets are bombing telecommunication stations to prevent media coverage of their military invasion. Especially
targeted are the stations that relay television and mobile telephone signals, and the television networks Al Jazeera and
Al Arabia.
The war in the Middle East serves the interest of monopoly capitalism, chiefly US. It is aimed at stimulating the recessive
US and world capitalist system with huge federal state appropriations for contracts with the military industrial complex
and for wars of aggression and military intervention. At the same time, it seeks to tighten the US stranglehold on the
economies of the Middle East countries and to expand US political dominance.
The peoples of the world are not deceived by the US sham advice to Israel to "act with restraint" in its attacks on the
people of Lebanon and Palestine. After all, the US is the staunchest ally of Israel in their common war against the countries
and peoples of the Middle East. It seeks to benefit from Israel's invasion of Lebanon and from the provocations against
Syria and Iran.
The US is further intensifying its interventionist role by rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel. The rushing
of delivery of munitions is part of a multibillion-dollar arms sale package that includes 100 GBU-28s which are 5,000-pound
(2,268-kilogram) laser-guided bombs and satellite-guided munitions.
We, the International League of Peoples' Struggle, join all the forces and people in the world who respect the principle
of national sovereignty and fight for justice and peace against imperialism and Israeli Zionism. Let us act together to
condemn and oppose the barbaric attacks of Israel and the United States on the people of Palestine and Lebanon.
These attacks are a violation of the Geneva Conventions and all other conventions of international law.
We demand the immediate stop to the attacks on Palestine and Lebanon and to the provocations directed against
Syria and Iran. We demand the withdrawal of the Israeli troops from Palestine and Lebanon. We support the courageous
and heroic people of both countries in their struggle to uphold and defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Long live the Palestinian and Lebanese people!
We support your heroic struggles!
Down with US imperialism and Zionism!
Long live international solidarity
|
|