“Palestine is a moral litmus test for the world”

Those are the words of Angela Davis – Professor Emeritus and Black activist in the United States.

We may go further in clarifying that statement by noting that indeed the populations of the world are almost unanimous in their support of Palestinians and even the current generation of video ‘gamers’ as they are known are joining on line protests and demonstrations in support of Palestinians.

So who is the litmus test for? Clearly all the major Governments of the western world.

The United States for one, engages in military and police exchange programs to assist Israel in it’s policing of a population it likes to call terrorist. And make no mistake, the Israeli oppression of Palestinians goes well beyond simply dealing with Hamas. So the US trots out the same hypocritical nonsense it has for decades. Their support for Israel’s murderous assault on Gazan civilians is beyond reprehensible.

Our own Government here in the UK is equally as culpable, in which case so too is His Majesty’s loyal opposition – Keir Starmer’s Labour Party! Of course there’s no surprise in any of that because below the surface of these so-called leaders indignant pronouncements of Israel’s right to ‘self defence’, is the dogged commitment to the primacy of global capitalism in which, even Israeli citizens are expendable.

And it is to that principle of protecting capitalism that tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians are being so callously sacrificed.

So expendable are Palestinians that Keir Starmer could not initially even bring himself to condemn the Israeli destruction of Gazan infrastructure like water and power that are so critical to the survival prospects of civilians.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza grows worse by the hour. The prospects of a wider regional conflict beyond Israel’s borders becomes ever more likely and only an IMMEDIATE ceasefire will begin to ease the suffering and perhaps enable a process of negotiating a way forward.

The SOCIAL JUSTICE PARTY has been founded on clear Socialist principles and such a commitment requires above all else the offer of OPTIMISM and HOPE. We all know that these are conditions not on offer from the major parties here in the UK – neither the Tories nor Labour – and it is incumbent upon us all as citizens and particularly those of us identifying as Socialists to make our demands clear.

“The Social Justice Party calls upon the UK Government and the Opposition Leader Keir Starmer to –

1. Demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
2. Assist in all efforts to provide the humanitarian and practical assistance required for the rebuilding of Gaza.
3. The immediate cessation of the occupation of Palestine.
4. Provide the International leadership required to produce meaningful negotiations between the parties to this conflict with the view to accomplishing a just and lasting peace.”