Even though the media this week has seemed to have gotten bored of the Israeli war crimes which are continuing to be committed there was still an excellent turnout on last nights demo, with about 50 people (compared to the whopping 5 on the Zionist counter-demo!) showing up to show their support for Palestine.

There was a distinctly much more relaxed atmosphere on the picket with the weather being gorgeous, the public (British and Arab visitors alike) being sympathetic and the police being more reasonable. It was good to see such support as the media doesn't seem to have kept up with the further collective punishment which is being dealt out to the Palestinians, reporting instead on the odd apparent 'excess' such as the crimes in Rafah last week.

It is imperative that we keep up our support for the Palestinian people and the intifada. On a demo the other week I had the misfortune of bumping into a couple of young cadre from the Workers Hammer bunch (Sparts?). As always they were insistant upon delving deeply into a political discussion on what my relationship (as a Marxist-Leninist) was to the Palestinain struggle. I explained that I supported it without reservation as it was essentially a national liberation struggle against imperialism. They agreed that that was what it was, but that we should not support the intifada. Apparently it isolates the Israeli working class from joining in solidarity with their Palestinian brothers and sisters. Also, I was informed by my well read young comrades, that the Palestinians have no chance of defeating the might of the Zionist military machine and that not only should we not support the intifada, but it was our upmost moral duty from our enlightened position to tell them to stop fighting!! Why, I asked. Because by fighting they were hurting themselves and if they just stopped and made solidarity with the Israeli working class (I'm not sure in what abstract parallel universe they were referring to forge such links and how) things would be better. I was told that as Communists who are versed in the ways of Marx and Lenin we should distant ourselves from the backward religious women haters that are leading the Palestinian struggle and forge links with those (who exactly?) who are willing to fight the class war.

This sort of shit is the biggest danger that any genuine progressive must fight. It is a clear misunderstanding and distortion of Marx and Lenin's analysis and position on the support of national liberation struggles. They wrote volumes against this crude form of national chauvinism that characterises such middle class 'socialist' trends. It is a form of racism - 'we who have read Marx and Engels in the comfort of our cosy homes are in a superior position so must dictate to the people of Palestine who have lost their homes, land and family how best to fight and impose necessary conditions for support' . it is also factually wrong..

..Before the Palestinian intifada began the rate of settlement growth was much greater under Burak's Labour governement than during the reign of Sharon's Likud government. Furthermore, investment in Israel over the last three years has plummeted because of the unrest and immigration into the country (essential to Zionist expansionism) has reached an all time low. On top of this emigration has reached an all time high with people unsettled by the fact that the Palestinians are fighting back and unwilling to live in Israel. The Israeli economy has also been hammered by the intifada with both inflation and unemployment risisng steadily, with the proletarisation of large tracks of Israeli society now taking place. Most importantly of all though, the intifada has brought the plight of the Palestinian people to the world arena with the result of exposing the reality that Israel stands for - ethnic cleansing, murder, apartheid. Only 3 months ago a poll in Europe showed that Europeans considered Israel to be the most dangerous country in the world and criticism of the Israeli government has reached an all time high amongst politial leaders and even amongst various advocates of the Israeli state, disillusioned and isolated by it's increasing brutality. Also, Madonna has cancelled her Israeli gigs this week, due to security concerns...one more example in a line of many which could be given illustrating the isolation of Israel.

The Israeli ruling class is feeling this isolation and is now openly split on how to best go forth - whether to further it's hold on Gaza and expand further or pull out all together. Large segments of the Israeli business communities have also sold their assets in Israel and currency and brought up Euro's and foreign investments to preserve their wealth (so much for Zionist loyalties)! It always comes down to class and money!). The Zionist state is facing an internal crisis brought about from the intifada. Sharon when elected in 2001 said 'I'll defeat the Intifada in 100 days.' Well, 3 years on the intifada is still undefeated and it looks like Sharon will go before it does!

What these fake 'socialists' who don't support the intifada don't realise is the power of an ideological example. No, the Palestinian people cannot militarily beat Israel. The Zionists if they so wanted (and a lot of them do) could wipe the Palestinians of the face of the planet. But they cannot just do that, as the example of the Palestinian struggle has resonance far beyond a scrap with Israel. It is a highly charged political and ideological battle against imperialism. A battle for the oppressed - the majority of the world's people, against occupation and exploitation. Last night on the picket we were joined by some Nepalese comrades who spoke about the People's revolution in Nepal which is building schools and hospitals throughout the country. The people there have suffered enormously from poverty and the brutality of the dictatorial King. They showed us pictures of friends and family brutally murdered by the King's Royal Nepalese Army (RNA). The RNA recieves a lot of it's arms from not just the U.S and Britain but also Israel. Israel's main industry is selling arms and high-tech surveillance to repressive regimes around the world. Historically it has also always done so - from repressive governments in Latin America to the apartheid regime of South Africa which Israel was a huge supporter of. Zionism is not some isolated movement it is an integral part of imperialism, set-up by the imperialist powers of the U.S and Western Europe to safeguard it's interests.

It is those who claim to support the Palestinians but who don't support the intifada who are the biggest enemy that we should be careful of. Zionist extremists such as Betar are not such a problem. In many ways they're just a joke who's presence and vulgarity can actually help stimulate the Palestinian solidarity movement (as they have helped the M&S pickets grow). The real problem are those who claim to support, but push come to shove on the crucial question of actually supporting resistance movements join (wittingly or not) the forces of reaction. I am a Communist, as such I see myself as being closer to the Muslims and those who wouldn't consider themselves 'political' but who get up off their arses and support the Palestinians right to self-determination without their own conditions imposed than those who call themselves Communists, socialists or Marxist-Leninists but who in reality are nothing of the sort.

On another march last week a member of the Alliance for Workers Liberty came up to me and asked if I'd sign a petition saying 'Down with US/UK Imperialism! Down with Sadr! - Sign in support of building a trade union movement in Iraq' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fuck it, I was going to go off on one again but I'll be here all day and have work to do. I'll let the reader decide what I thought of their shit.

Victory to the intifada!