“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.”
JVL, many of whose members have friends and relatives in Israel, joins those who mourn all who have died in the upsurge of violence in Israel/Palestine, Israeli and Palestinian alike. With sadness, we prepare to mourn also the many more deaths, predominantly of Palestinians, that will now almost inevitably take place over the coming days.
What is occurring is the latest episode in a continuing tragedy. It is the inevitable consequence of the attempt by the Israeli state to permanently suppress the human rights and national aspirations of the Palestinian people. While the immediate roots of the surge of violence by Hamas are clear, its effects are inevitably indiscriminate due to the limitations of their crude weaponry. It has been provoked by the prolonged aggressive incursions by more than a thousand militant Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, sacred to Muslims, as well as by increasingly unrestrained settler violence in the West Bank. These were only the latest provocations sanctioned and encouraged by Israel’s far right government.
UK media overwhelmingly present the decades-long horror story which is Israel/Palestine as a one-on-one conflict between two matched sides. Seemingly wilfully, they feed the widespread public ignorance of the realities of the situation. Our government deplores the violence of the Palestinian incursions and barrage of rockets; but it gives continuing support to Israel, whose violent suppression of the Palestinian people is systematic and unremitting.
There are no winners in this cycle of violence; so how can it be ended? Israel is a settler-colonial state occupying Palestinian lands by force and practising apartheid against the indigenous inhabitants. It has no incentive to abandon what might seem like a winning, if utterly immoral, strategy. Given the complicity of our own government with Israel, the strategy of Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) remains the essential fulcrum of the movement to shift both our own government’s policies and the economic and political realities for Israel. JVL urges support for BDS as a practical and non-violent response to the situation in Palestine/Israel; and calls on MPs to oppose the anti-democratic anti-BDS Bill now being pushed through parliament.
JVL grieves for all those who are victims of the violence in Israel/Palestine. But it will continue as long as Israel pursues its policy of apartheid backed by state violence. They should remember Hosea 8:7: “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.”
We have received statements from other Jewish Groups we work with in the International Jewish Collective for Justice in Palestine
- Alternative Jewish Voices (NZ): Hamas has responded now what?
- Jews for Palestine – Ireland
- Jewish Voice for Peace (US): The Root of Violence Is Oppression
- Independent Jewish Voices (Canada): IJV Calls for a Ceasefire and Systemic Change in Palestine-Israel
- Union Juive Francaise pour la Paix (France): The lamentations of pro-Israeli nations: enough is enough! It’s legitimate to resist against an occupier!
I agree totally with these sentiments. There will be no winners only losers. The Palestinians have little chance of overcoming the IDF and Biden promises Israel anything they need. Capitalism is already looking to make more profit and I mourn the deaths on both sides.
Thank you for your courageous and compassionate stand for all people caught up in this tragedy
There is just one thing missing from this handwringing article and that is full support for the Palestininan Uprising and offensive. The people of Gaza have every right to launch this offensive against a 15 year blockade just as the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto had the right to fight back against those who imprisoned them in a ghetto.
Thank you for this. I’ve reposted it with the following intro:
Today’s events put me in mind of the Tet offensive in Vietnam in 1968 when I was 12 and my political consciousness was just dawning.
The Tet offensive was a surprise attack by the North Vietnam Army and the Vietcong (southern resistance fighters) on the US occupation forces and their local collaborators in the south of Vietnam under cover of a national holiday.
Ultimately the attack was a failure and led to the deaths of 1000s of Vietnamese on both sides and not a few US soldiers too. What it did do was breach the dam, the idea that the USA was invincible; sapping the morale of the US colonisers and their quislings. It was a mere 7 years later that the US imperialists were finally forced to flee with their tails between their legs.
This morning’s attack by Palestinian resistants from Gaza on the Zionist colonisers is also doomed to failure and will lead, in the short term, to many tragic deaths. It will however plant the seeds of resistance amongst the broader Palestinian population and their Arab sisters and brothers and the millions of other people around the world who stand in solidarity with them.
Unfortunately, craven collaboration by the leadership of Fatah (in return for US money) has gifted the Islamists of Hamas and Islamic Jihad the role of leaders in the struggle against the colonial occupation. Fortunately, the 2nd largest grouping in the PLO after Fatah, the Marxist-Leninist PFLP, were quick to throw their weight behind the uprising.
The western media and bourgeois political class have been quick to label the resistance “terrorist.”
It’s worth noting that this is exactly how the Nazis described the French resistance.
I hope and pray there are no relatives of any JVL members or of any other Jewish Families that have been killed or injured during this latest conflict
And I also hope there are no relatives of any Palestinian Families that have been killed or injured
If Our Government and Our Opposition Parties told. the truth about what is happening in not just involving Israelis/Palestinians But in all other conflicts as well
Why are people never told the truth about why a conflict is taking place and the affect the effect it could have on one side or the other if it carries on
And also which side stands to benefit most from these senseless Wars and Conflicts
All wars/Conflicts are wrong and they could be avoided by diplomacy
But we know it won’t as there are those in this world who don’t want that because they are only interested in Money Oil and Power
Politicians and Governments around the world along with the Banks and large investment Companies who.stand to make a lot of money and contracts to rebuild these countries involved after the destruction they have had to endure .
And the people who end up suffering the most are the innocent civilians and the young men who get called up to fight
Nearly all Wars and Conflicts are never won or.lost on the Battlefield
They are Won or Lost by talking and by coming to an agreement with the other side
But this does not suit the Powerful People in this world Who along with the Banks and Large Investment Companies c9ntrol the world’s wealth And as far as their concerned that comes before the lives of innocent people who just want to live in peace and unity without the threat of wars hanging over their heads which prevents that peace
I HOPE AND PRAY YOUR FAMILIES ARE ALL SAFE AND THE FAMILIES OF OTHERS THAT HAVE FAMILY AND FRIENDS LIVING IN THAT AREA IN THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES
G9D BLESS AND KEEP YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES SAFE FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS ???? ❤️
Thank you for this statement which reflects the true picture. I am not Jewish, but Christian. I support the BDS policy and made that known to my MP.
I pray for peace and justice.
Strange how so many of us are quick to cheer the Ukrainians on in their fight-back against Russia, but when it comes to Palestinians “daring” to stand up to Israeli oppression – well, that’s another matter.
We look on with horror and terrible sadness that this conflict can’t be resolved with justice and compassion.
Agree entirely with Tony Greenstein.
When in Palestine, a friend took me to see one piece of the concrete apartheid wall and on it was a sentence: “To Exist is To Resist”. We should support our Palestinian comrades and understand exactly what that means. Resistance is inevitable. Just like in the Warsaw Ghetto, the might of the Nazis couldnt crush the spirit of those inside.
An excellent balanced summary by Jewish Voice for Labour.
I have followed events within what we called the Holy Land for myself.
The wilfully ignorant and fundamentally one-sided stance by establishment news media and establishment politicians is a familiar shoddy disgrace.
Just thought I would something interesting on the Guardian’s websites rolling coverage . Corbyn posted a tweet in support for the Palestinian cause , in response to the Labour Party cancelling the word ‘apartheid’ , and the Guardian provided the context for this.
Sometime later in the day, they actually removed this context. And they did for a time actually state the context has been removed, but left his tweet up.
Thank you for sharing this statement ….. and this pertinent biblical verse.
So disturbing that Starmer can only repeat his unequivocal support for Israel in this situation and every time Palestinians put up any resistance to the Israeli Apartheid regime. He won’t even allow the word ‘Apartheid’ to be used at conference. Sadly I have no hope that a Labour government will do any better than the Tories in striving to secure justice and peace for Palestinians.
Boycott, Divest and impose Sanctions.
Thank you for writing something that we can share with our friends, families and acquaintances who are still blinded by racism and propaganda into thinking that Palestinians are less human than Jews.
I feel woefully ignorant about this struggle and its history but can recognise oppression when I see it. I’m disgusted yet not surprised at how the MSM has jumped to kiss the rear end of the oppressor.
I see no handwringing. There is unequivocal support in JVL’s statement for peaceful resistance to Israel’s oppression via the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions strategy. There is also clear contextualising of Hamas’ actions, and a call to oppose the Anti-Boycott Bill. And much more which I won’t reiterate.
As well as this statement, I would urge everyone to read and share the article written by Haggai Matar of +972 Magazine and former refusenik, for a first class account which blends personal emotions with political assessment and a clear and uncompromising contextualising of what has led up to this situation. https://www.972mag.com/gaza-attack-context-israelis/ Then subscribe to +972 Mag (which is free) for consistently good analysis and commentary from its team of Palestinian and Jewish writers, and then (because doing their work can be dangerous and costly) consider making a small regular donation to +972 Magazine via the British Shalom-Salaam Trust.
I too have many friends – Palestinians and Jewish – across Israel-Palestine, and I have family there whose views are anathema to me. I don’t want ANY of them to be hurt or to die. But I also know that once this round of fighting, struggle, resistance and warfare has ended, the existing huge gap between Palestinian deaths and Jewish deaths will have grown even wider, far wider.
Thank you Naomi and for the reference to Haggai Matar’s article, which we also posted…https://jewishvoiceforliberation.org.uk/article/gazas-shock-attack-has-terrified-israelis-it-should-also-unveil-the-context/
@Sal Hassan – so what if Jeremey posted some apparently pro-Palestinian tweets. If he was as pro-Palestinian as you suggest, why has he remained in the Labour Party ?
Either both sides are guilty of Terrorism or both have a right to defend themselves
My question is always are you part of the solution or part of the problem
For me the Apartheid Jewish State is responsible for all of these atrocities, time and time again
Thank you
I agree completely with the sentiments expressed in this article. What Israel has done to Palestine is unconscienable, and whatever one thinks of what Hamas is now doing it has been made inevitable in consequence of a long period of increasingly unbearable pressure on the Palestinian people by an increasingly oppressive and violent Israeli regime.
However, my anger goes beyond that. The shockingly one-sided response of the entire American political class to the situation has in itself killed any prospect of a peaceful outcome to this new war, and the BBCs willingness to make that response central to their reportage is utterly disgusting, as its tediously predictable description of Israel’s actions as being ‘retaliatory’. Netanyahu is openly threatening genocide, but we hear no criticism of that. I await Starmer’s pronouncements on all this with a sense of impending horror.
And now the BBC tells me that police patrols have been increased in London at the behest of Braverman, that most racist and reactionary of all Tories, because there are people out there who are, rightly or wrongly, celebrating Hamas’ action. Again, the refusal to recognise that the depth of animosity that Israel’s actions over so many years has attracted is not anti-semitic but fundamentally anti-fascist.
As things are, I do not believe that Hamas can win this war; there are too many things standing in the way of that. But the fact that Palestine should now see fit to throw itself against the wall which is Israel’s political influence and military power, is a powerful indication of what can happen when a state tries to destroy an entire people by making constant war on it while pretending to the world its acts of violent oppression are carried out in the name of peace.
Israel won’t stop until Palestine is wiped off the Map and no country has the guts to condemn this even though the people of all the Arab Nations stand with Palestine while their governments cosy up to Netanyahu..it’s heartbreaking.
The fact the West are regurgitating Israeli propaganda is what we’ve come to expect from a system so corrupt and self serving no suffering touches those at the Top.
Why is it that some of the left who shout “Free Palestine” are now, like some in here, calling for a ceasefire ? No fan of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, but it’s as if some would rather the Palestinians just take oppression on the chin.
Should Palestinians just sit out another however many years getting oppressed while, not being funny, the likes of JVL and others spend time trying to make they’re minds up about if Keir Starmer is actually good for the Labour Party, who they’ll more than likely still vote for, and naval gazing about Corbyns defeat ?
As an aside, just how pro-Palestine is JC ? He’s had plenty of opportunity to leave Labour and go independent, but hasn’t, which makes it seem as if that’s what he’s really loyal to, not anti-imperialism.
Unfortunately many of those who oppose the proto fascist Netanyahu government will also have been hit by the killings and kidnapping etc. Killing of children is exactly what Israeli governments have been doing to Palestinians for 75, years. We will not be reminded of this by our media or establishment.
In the final analysis it’s the US and the UK and Germany and the other countries who give Israel their unwavering support who are responsible for all the death and destruction over the years, when they could have applied pressure on the Israeli Government decades ago and brought the suffering and oppression of the Palestinians to an end.
And ditto the MSM!
On Tuesday 3rd of October, BBC Radio 4 broadcast the first episode of The Mandates. It was presented by journalist Tom Bateman and was informative, balanced and provided the history and background that is noticeably missing from current media reporting and commentary. In the present circumstances it will be interesting to see whether the BBC will broadcast the rest of the episodes.
It strikes at the heart of something that appears to be drummed into every Jewish child, the world could turn on us in the blink of an eye
Israel is our sanctuary, our safe place, the Jewish state will welcome us with open arms at a moments notice and inflict unimaginable violence on anyone who threatens us
Now back to reality, this is the safest country in Europe for the Jewish community thanks to people like JC and the old Labour party
The apartheid Jewish state is the biggest threat to the Jewish community around the world
Teach the children, Jews are always with the oppressed never the oppressor and remind them generations of non jews like me, were brought upto to ‘never forget’
We will stand with you
Something that we rarely if ever hear mentioned:
Countries that recognise Palestine (the map says it all!)
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-that-recognize-palestine
And just as interesting is those that don’t!
Pleased to be able to read a point of view that makes sense.
Israel can murder arrest indefinitely and harass daily the Palestinian people. The moment Gaza retaliates, they’re terroists. It sickens me the way Western media are reporting this.
I find it interesting how the flow of comments has virtually dried up since the full horrors of the Hamas attacks have been revealed.
The abduction, rape and murder of unarmed civilians from small children to grandmothers and the desecration of the dead can never, ever be justified. These are war crimes – nothing else – and should be called out as such.
I should add that I am no right wing extremist – I hold no brief for Netanyahu or his government who have blood on their hands for the hatred they have engendered.
Many thanks for this intelligent response.
When if ever will the serial liars and weasel propagandists in the press be taken to account?
Susan , I was amazed and relieved to hear episode 2 of the excellent BBC4 radio programme The Mandates being broadcast in its entirety. A striking contrast in its historical accuracy and impartiality to anything coming from the news channels.
Jonathan, you imply that there aren’t so many people posting in this thread now since the ‘full horrors’ of the Hamas attacks were revealed, but the thread has been ‘open’ for three days as of you posting your comment, and as you will find with just about any thread, most of the comments are posted in the first couple of days, apart from which there’s now about half-a-dozen articles that have been posted since. And in the final analysis, how do we know the claims are true – ie the rape and desecration of dead bodies and beheading babies. Yes, many innocent people have been murdered, and others have been abducted, but Hamas use the weapons they have to kill people, whereas Israel just blows innocent people to smithereens with their powerful bombs.
The reality is that none of it would be happening in the first place if Israel had treated the Palestinians as human beings from the outset. On another blog someone referred to the ‘murderous hatred’ of Hamas in a comment yesterday, but where does that murderous hatred spring from, and what caused it? It’s just a vicious cycle, and murderous hatred is now killing/murdering hundreds of innocent Palestinians, including grandmothers and babies and children, and flattening Gaza and bombing its inhabitants back in to the stone-age.
And personally, I think it’s HIGHLY unlikely that the security services and Netanyahu and Co didn’t know what was being planned and what was coming. And allowed it to! It certainly ‘fixed’ a few problems for him.
With all that’s happening I feel anger at how far the Labour Leadership has silenced political opposition to Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Anger at the Party’s unconcerned and factional use of the abhorrent, dehumanizing MSM conflation of support for Palestinians with antisemitism. I couldn’t stand to watch the Labour Conference but little imagine there was any waving of Palestinian flags. Yet as the State of Israel threatens to starve all those trapped in Gaza, will the Labour Party at all distance itself from the Israeli flag?
And I can’t forget Angela Rayner’s preparedness not so long ago to suspend ‘thousands and thousands’ of Labour members if need be. All to showcase the Tory favoured, punitive, zero tolerance of antisemitism over an educational approach. Yet in their defence of Jeremy Corbyn against just such a smear, some members by boldly speaking of ‘apartheid’ or ‘occupation’ were precisely warning of the horror now unfolding.
Must it really be said – Apartheid is ‘detrimental’ to all those who suffer at its hand, not to a UK Party Conference! It’s disgusting for Labour to shield itself from Tory attack by delegitimizing all reference to the apartheid system and occupation Palestinians have long endured. Yet critical voices speaking uncomfortable truths about the State of Israel seem so silenced now in Labour – all to secure political office via the Tory vote. Is that what the Labour left in this country are willing to win power on the back of? The mass death and displacement of Palestinian people? The young Jewish partygoers now dead?
This statement is good, as far as it goes. For there is a glaring omission – no mention of Hamas, at all. Is it beyond the pro-Palestinian left to critically analyse Hamas? How much better would it have been for the people of Gaza if Hamas had not killed hundreds of civilians? Hamas’s objective – to halt Saudi ‘normalisation’ talks with Israel – would have been achieved by just engaging the Israeli army in Israel. The killing of civilians did not enhance their strategy one jot. In fact, it could have undone it, though it didn’t. We can safely say Hamas does not give a shit about the people of Gaza. It’s not as though they didn’t know how Israel would react to the killing of hundreds of civilians. They knew and welcomed the Israeli response. For Hamas, it is worth the 2.3 million Palestinian lives, propaganda-wise, for the world to watch Israel annihilate Gaza. Fuck Hamas.
Ordinary people wanting an ordinary life – there are no ‘sides’.
@Jean-Jacques Turkie – true re Hamas not caring about Gazans, and likewise for Bibi in relation to Israelis. He cares about his survival, but not that of ordinary Israelis. $%^& Likud and $%^& Bibi.