At the Palestine Plenary Session titled "In Defense of Gaza" of the Beirut International Forum for Resistance, Anti-Imperialism, Peoples’ Solidarity and Alternatives – Jan 17, 2009

Sisters and Brothers - Although the date for this conference was scheduled months ago, now in the midst a horrendous onslaught against the Palestinian people, we are at a crucial juncture in history.

The United Nations just stands by, the European Union is in full support of the Zionist state and the whole war is paid and equipped by U.S. imperialism. From Saudi Arabia to Egypt to India, nations who were once considered friends of Palestine stand by and watch Gaza BURN – Day after Day, after Day!!

The Zionists use of bunker busters, F-16 jets, cluster bombs White Phosphorus bombs and systematic destruction of food warehouses, emergency relief provisions is all well publicized through out the entire region, but do absolutely nothing is done in the face of the most serious war crimes.

Why, why is this? The global inactions are because the rich and powerful are terrified of and desperately want to destroy resistance in their own countries. They want to destroy the glorious example of resistance that Palestine represents to the whole world

Every one of the great powers and their collaborators hope that by attacking Heroic GAZA they can push back and demoralize the struggle in the whole region.

Yet working and poor people, mobilizing globally,and swelling the streets in ever greater number, stand with Gaza

GAZA is a harbinger of wider war against oppressed people of the world. We are on the eve of a global capitalist crisis. This means massive insecurity, cutbacks in ALL social programs, unemployment for millions.

Millions of working people will seek to fight back against a system of endless war and greater and greater divide of enormous wealth for a handful and poverty for the overwhelming majority. Increasingly they will identify with and take heart from the many forms of resistance they see around them.

We need to militantly support Hamas the democratically elected choice of the people, who is being demonized, hunted, and assassinated by the Zionists, as is every heroic fighter.

We need to make it clear that we support the Right to resist, the Right to fire rockets, the Right to dig tunnels, the Right to organize the people against sure starvation and blockade that Israel has criminally imposed..

For decades the Palestinian struggle has been the shining example to all the world of a people, who refuse to submit to a colonial domination, apartheid conditions, The most brutal form of segregation and subjugation.

At this Forum we salute the powerful resistance Iraq and the struggle waged by all of the different forces opposing U.S. occupation. We salute the resistance in Afghanistan. -A resistance that the U.S. never expected.

We salute the heroic forces in Lebanon, led by Hezbollah, who organized such a devastating set back to Israel in 2006.

We stand with the people of Syria and with Iran, who in the face of U.S./Israeli threats have been steadfast.

We applaud the people of Venezuela and Bolivia who have shown such great solidarity with the struggle in Gaza as they organize to build a more just society

We must intensify the struggle against NATO, the U.S. /European Union military arm. Now we need to connect the criminal role of NATO in Afghanistan, of NATO in the Balkans, in Georgia and now with the phony ceasefire - NATO military forces are proposed for Palestine!! NATO is the U.S. shield to do what Israel alone can no longer do.

Organizers represented at this Forum, have already brought out millions into the streets in public demonstrations of solidarity. This is true in the Arab and Muslim world, through the entire South, and also in the imperialist countries. In some places we have blocked and even occupied the embassies of Israel and targeted those of the U.S. and countries that have collaborated with Israel's war crimes, taken BOATS TO GAZA and taken up collections for people-to-people humanitarian aid.

We are proud to have helped to organize many thousands of people in the streets emergency demonstrations day after day for three weeks in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and many other cities.

We must sustain an ongoing movement to BOYCOTT, DIVEST and to impose SANCTIONS on the Israeli state and War crimes charges on its leaders. We must demand an accounting from our own governments.

We need to continue and deepen all these actions to find the best way of throwing a giant SHOE—into the gears of the imperialist and Zionist war machines.

Sisters and Brothers - Gaza stands for global resistance. It is resistance of a whole people against starvation, blockade, and siege.

World solidarity is a responsibility – Palestine is fighting for ALL of us. We must fight for Palestine!