Protests on the first anniversary of the Israeli invasion of Gaza

Tens of thousands of people participated in demonstrations and other protest actions to commemorate the first anniversary of the Israeli invasion of Gaza in Egypt, Gaza, Israel itself and many cities around the world, between December 31, 2009 and January  9, 2010.

Tens of thousands of people participated in demonstrations and other protest actions to commemorate the first anniversary of the Israeli invasion of Gaza in Egypt, Gaza, Israel itself and many cities around the world, between December 31, 2009 and January  9, 2010.

In a prominent action of solidarity, over 1400 activists from 43 countries met in Cairo, Egypt to march towards Gaza to join with Palestinians marching to break Israel’s illegal siege. They were prevented from entering Gaza by the Egyptian authorities. As a result, the “Freedom Marchers” remained in Cairo where they staged a series of actions aimed at pressurising the international community to end the siege as one step in the larger struggle to secure justice for Palestinians throughout historic Palestine. After days of negotiation, Egypt permitted a small delegation to cross the normally closed border at the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The “Gaza Freedom Marchers” issued a declaration on January 1, 2010 in Cairo, aimed calling for accelerating the global campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israeli Apartheid.

Over 1,000 people, both Jews and Arabs, organised a protest rally in Israel. They carried banners with pictures of children in destroyed buildings. The marchers chanted “Free Palestine!” and “No to the siege!” and held aloft banners reading “Lift the siege of Gaza!” and “Freedom and justice for Gaza”. The protesters demanded Israel end the blockade, terming its continuation as a serious war crime.

Besides the ongoing siege of Gaza, the Palestinian resistance reports that Israel has begun the New Year with aerial and artillery bombardments of the northern, southern and eastern parts of the strip by fighter planes and tanks. However, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said his government had grown in strength since the 2008-2009 three-week-long Israeli assaults on the strip, which claimed more than 1,400 Palestinian lives and destroyed more than 4,000 homes. Inaugurating two buildings restored after being destroyed during the offensive, he said “the Israeli war and Israeli pressure on the government and on the Hamas movement have not weakened us,” pledging that his government would rebuild whatever was destroyed during the war.

Solidarity rallies were also organised in several other cities of the world during the period December 31, 2009 to January 9, 2010. These include Vancouver, Calgary, New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco in North America; London, Belfast, Paris, Marseille, Amsterdam and Berne in Europe; Adelaide in Australia, Tokyo, Cairo, Istanbul and Amman (Jordan) in Asia, among others.

The ongoing siege of Gaza by the Israeli and Egyptian authorities at the behest of US imperialism has thus been condemned by freedom loving people all over the globe. It is clear that despite years of sieges and atrocities committed against the Palestinian people, their spirit remains high and they continue to fight for their national rights. The war crimes committed and being committed against them must not go unpunished. The Indian working class and people salute the brave Palestinian people and must continue to support them in their struggle for justice.