Israel describes its ethnic cleansing in Gaza as a “war against Hamas”, and calls any support for Palestine “terrorist sympathy”. At the same time, Israel has done everything possible to strengthen Hamas’ grip on Gaza, as a counterbalance to the socialist and secular currents of the Palestinian freedom struggle. So who is really fuelling terrorism?

Protests and demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian people, who are being butchered by the Israeli military, have been dubbed an antisemitic incitement to violence against Jews. This is part of a conscious campaign to criminalise and silence the legitimate democratic right to express support for an oppressed people. In particular, the use of the term “Intifada”, including by communists of the IMT, has been condemned by the western establishment. But what is the attitude of communists towards antisemitism, and what was the real nature of the First Intifada?

In response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, Houthi militants have launched missiles at Israel, and targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea. The situation in the Middle East is extremely unstable, with explosive implications for world capitalism.

Mr. Zakaria Helles, a Gazan expert in hydraulic engineering, is in Quebec for what was to be a three-month stay to take up a position as an assistant professor at Laval University. But after the relentless bombing and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, he was forced to stay here, far from home, for an indefinite period. Since then, he has been a key figure in the pro-Palestinian movement in Quebec City. On Nov. 7, La Riposte socialiste had the chance to speak with him.

A chilling report by +972 Magazine and Local Call, based on testimony from seven current and former members of Israel’s intelligence community, exposes the grim reality of Israel’s war on Gaza. It claims the IDF knowingly selects civilian targets, routinely wipes out entire families, and writes off hundreds of innocent lives at a time as “collateral damage”. The sources say these tactics are intended to instil fear in the population. Let us call things by their real names: this is terrorism.

While the nightmare continues in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians living in the West Bank are seeing growing attacks from Israeli soldiers and settlers. This had already started before October 7, but since then it has massively been stepped up, with close to 200 Palestinians killed. In some areas, whole communities have been forced to move under threat of being killed.

The Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions appealed to workers all over the world to stop Israel’s ongoing ethnic cleansing, in an open letter published Oct. 16.

The slaughter in Gaza has now reached the grim milestone of 10,000 killed, while more than a million have been displaced with nowhere to go.

The Israeli army, after much prevarication, finally started ground operations in Gaza over the weekend. But it was not a full-scale invasion. The Israeli military leaders are fully aware of the great risk to their own soldiers if they commence street-by-street fighting with troops on the ground. They are also wary of giving Hezbollah the excuse they require to widen the conflict, opening a second front on the northern border with Lebanon. So what are Netanyahu and his generals preparing for?

As Israel prepares its forces for a land invasion of Gaza, all the western imperialist leaders – from Biden to Sunak, Scholz, and Macron – are getting very nervous. They worry about what their world will look like when this is over.