Ariel Sharon – transforming a war criminal into a national hero Sharon is seriously ill and may never return to active politics. This has thrown the whole of the Israeli establishment into turmoil, as now a question mark is being placed above the party he founded a few weeks ago, Kadima. Society is so polarized that one man can balance at the top. Without him the balancing game may not hold for long.
Ariel Sharon – myth and reality A comment on the background of Ariel Sharon, an army man involved in terrible crimes against the Palestinian people who went on to become Prime Minister of Israel. From this position, which he still holds, he continued to oppress the Palestinians, while also attacking the workers of Israel.
Ahmadinejad and company: Reactionaries of the world unite! The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has made several anti-Semitic statements in the recent period, the latest being a denial that the Holocaust ever took place. Why has he come out with such incredible statements? Are his threats to attack Israel real? Or do they reflect the need to divert attention away from the real problems faced by the Iranian masses?
New Israeli Labour leader under pressure from Left and Right The election of the new leader of the Israeli Labour Party, Amir Peretz, has been described as a political earthquake, which indeed it is. Peretz has a reputation of being a left, militant trade union leader. Now he is coming under immense pressure from both the left and the right, which reflects the growing class conflict within Israeli society.
From Zbeidi With Love - To Sharon On December 5 a suicide bomber blew himself up in Natanya, Israel, killing several civilains. As we warned a few days ago, one of the instruments Sharon can use in whipping up anti-Arab sentiments among the Jews in Israel is precisely this kind of attack on civilians. It comes conveniently for Sharon at a time when the working class is moving to the left!
Israel: The two dangers on the road of the working class The change of leadership at the top of the Israeli Labour Party is still sending shockwaves throughout the whole of Israeli society. Now the new leader will come under immense pressure. Sharon with his new party is also manoeuvring. He can play the game of provoking further conflicts with the Palestinians to re-enforce the siege mentality among the Jews and he can try and trap Labour in a new coalition. These are the two dangers facing Israeli workers.
US arrogance has no limits in Iraq A minority voted for the new Iraqi constitution. Fighting has now erupted on the Iraqi-Syrian border. The resistance is being strengthened, not weakened. And now we have the revelations about the use of chemical weapons by the US army. The Pax Americana is wallowing in blood. This article was originally published in the Italian Marxist journal, FalceMartello.
US-style democracy in Iraq – incendiary bombs and white phosphorous! Shocking images have confirmed that white phosphorous bombs were used during the US Army attack on Fallujah last year, aimed at people directly, burning many of them alive, including civilians, women and children. If anyone doubted the real nature of the occupation of Iraq, now they have no excuse.
General secretary of the Israeli unions becomes leader of the Israeli Labour Party Last week the leader of the Histadrut, Amir Peretz ousted Shimon Peres from the leadership of the Israeli Labour Party. It was like a small earthquake in the political system of Israel, as Peretz has been promising to undo many of the cuts in the welfare state and has threatened to pull the Labour Party out of the coalition with the Likud.
US hands off Syria The UN, under US pressure, has passed a resolution on Syria. The implications are that Syrian officials were involved in the assassination of former Lebanese Premier, Rafiq Hariri. But Syria has gained nothing from his assassination. And there are clear indications that much of the so-called evidence may have been fabricated, in order to pressurise the Syrian regime.
Israel: As class struggle intensifies divisions open up in ruling class party Divisions have clearly emerged between different wings of the Israeli ruling class. These are reflected within the Likud, the main party of the Israeli bourgeoisie. These divisions are important signals of something that is stirring deeper within Israeli society. The ruling class is divided because it can see two dangers on the horizon, the class struggle in Israel and intensified opposition from the Palestinian community.
Letter from Israel: The roots of Zionism bears more of its rotten fruit Israel is a small country. Yet hardly a day passes without it being in the news for some reason or another. Every night there is a new "Affair" on the news. The word "Affair" is a direct translation from the Hebrew, but in English "Scandal" would be more appropriate.
The New Iraq Constitution: “Covering the Sun with a Sieve” Tomorrow the Iraqi people are being called to vote on the new Constitution. This piece of paper is full of contradictions that mean that in practice most of it cannot be applied, but the main thing for the US (and British) occupying powers is that it establishes clearly the right to private property and market relations. All the rest is a mere showpiece.
What is behind the Hamas-PA conflict? There is clearly a conflict between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Sharon has an interest in fomenting this further as a divided Palestinian community would be much easier to control. In the past Israel backed the formation of Hamas as a counterweight to the PLO. Now the opposite is the case and Israel is leaning on the PLO to curb the influence of Hamas.
From Tal Afar to Basra: fanning the flames of discontent in Iraq Iraq is in flames like never before. The iconic scenes which we saw in Basra last week reminded us once more of the dreadful state of affairs in Iraq. Now the south is in a mess too. Imperialist troops cannot bring peace. Pull them out now!
