Sharon's reactionary right wing government continues to rampage through the occupied territories.

The Palestinians are facing daily slaughter and brutality. Unemployment in the occupied territories is reaching 50%.

Fundamental human rights are being denied. There is no freedom of movement. The most basic services and facilities, such as sanitation, are in short supply.

By Zena Awad

How can the Palestinians win national liberation? Imperialism cannot deliver national liberation for the Palestinians, as the failure of the Oslo Accord so graphically demonstrated. On the contrary imperialism, both in the past and today, bears the main responsibility for instability and the oppression of national rights in the Middle East.

Because the region is so strategically and economically important to the imperialist powers they have always been particularly quick to defend their interests by deploying the tactic of divide and rule and by backing dictatorial regimes.

US imperialism has seen Israel as its client state in the region for much of Israel's existence, when it was an imperialist wedge against the threat of socialism and the Arab revolution.

More recently, US imperialism, in the form of the reactionary Bush administration, in reality gave Sharon an excuse for the Jenin massacre, hoping it would be possible to break the Palestinians resistance, leaving US imperialism 'free' to concentrate on attacking Iraq.

Unsurprisingly this strategy was unsuccessful. The plight of the Palestinians is leading to increasing outrage amongst the rest of the Arab populations.

The right-wing, imperialist-supporting, Arab regimes are feeling the ground shaking beneath them and, despite their own inclinations, are under enormous pressure to reject a war on Iraq, more than in the past when most of them unequivocally supported the US in the Gulf war in 1991.

To take the Palestinian struggle forward a democratically run mass armed struggle of defence against the IDF onslaught is needed. But mainly down to the desperation felt by Palestinian workers, poor peasants and youth, who have been driven to the edge of despair, and due to the lack of democratic involvement of the masses, the struggle has adopted tactics such as suicide bombings.

But these methods of struggle have shown to be destructive for the development of the second Intifada. It is the Israeli ruling class not ordinary Israelis who are responsible for the nightmare situation faced by ordinary Palestinians.

Attacks on ordinary Jewish workers, who are not responsible for the crimes of the Israeli state, only drive Israeli Jewish people into the hands of the real oppressor, the Israeli government. The situation is becoming more polarized. Every day individual suicide bombing attacks from one side and military bombings and invasions from the other result in killings, often of working class and poor peasant civilians, many of whom are women and children.

Socialists opposed the foundation of the Israeli state, recognising that it would be built on the enormous suffering of the Palestinian people, including their forcible dispersal and removal, and moreover would become a bloody trap for the Israeli Jews. Nonetheless, 54 years later, the national question is different because the Jewish Israeli population has an established national consciousness.

Given this, to deny the Israeli Jews the right to their own nation, would violate the right to self determination. Moreover, it is unachievable given the military backing of US imperialism from the Israeli state. There is an historical logjam. Just as the military might of Israel cannot crush the Palestinians' unquenchable desire for a state, the Israeli Jews' national consciousness could not be destroyed.

On the contrary many would be prepared to fight to the death to protect their homeland. However, this does not mean that the Israeli population is one undifferentiated mass or that large sections of Israeli society, particularly the working class, cannot be won to supporting genuine national self-determination for the Palestinians.

Some very progressive developments are taking place amongst the Israeli Jewish working class, often jointly with Israeli Arab workers and youth. There has been widespread industrial action against Sharon's policies and cuts, which he often justifies as 'the cost of war'.

During the massacre in the Jenin camp, over 1000 'Refuseniks', who are Israeli soldiers refusing to serve in the occupied territories, showed their protest against Sharon's oppression of the Palestinians. This is despite the fear felt by Jewish people of an Arab invasion to destroy Israel, despite the nationalist propaganda of the capitalist press on both sides of the region, and finally despite the fear of suicide bombers.

The establishment of a genuine Palestinian state is only viable on the basis of the abolition of the capitalist social system and the establishment of a socialist Palestine alongside a socialist Israel as part of a socialist confederation of the whole of the Middle East. Under capitalism any so-called Palestinian state would be at best a new version of the Palestinian Authority.

That's why the so-called 'two state solution' is unachievable within the framework of capitalism. However, the overthrow of the rotten capitalism regimes and the coming to power of democratic socialist governments would create the basis for genuine negotiations between the two peoples.

It would be possible to begin to negotiate a solution to even the most intractable problems. For example, the right of return is ruled out on a capitalist basis, it would mean a bloody mirror image of what the Jews did to the Palestinians in 1948.

However, a socialist Middle East could provide the full economic and social resources to absorb the millions of Palestinians who would be given the right of return and guarantee increased living standards and democratic rights for the whole population, including minorities.

This is the position put forward by Nidal Eshteraki campaign, the solidarity campaign of the Black and Asian section of the Socialist Party in England, which is affiliated to the Committee for a Workers' International with 35 sections around the world and one of which is in Palestine/Israel called in Arabic Nidal Ommali Eshteraki:

Our demands are:

Immediate withdrawal of all IDF troops from the occupied territories and the independence of a democratic socialist Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

For a mass struggle of the Palestinians under their democratic control to fight for genuine national and social liberation.

For the establishment of popular, grass-roots committees, that will provide the basis for a genuine workers' leadership. The right of these committees to be armed for the purposes of defence organised under the democratic control of the masses.

The link up of struggles by workers and youth internationally in solidarity with the working class in the Middle East, starting with the building of a mass anti-war movement against imperialism's intervention in the region.

For a socialist Palestine alongside a socialist Israel as part of a socialist confederation of the whole of the Middle East, based on workers' democracy and guaranteed rights for all minorities.

Stop Bush's war machine

The tragic events of 11th September had a harrowing and profound effect on the whole world. Not only did it knock the already crisis-ridden US economy for six, it also gave Bush an excuse for the war against terrorism.

Ese Umukoro

The war against terrorism or T.W.A.T. for those familiar with the expression, was a tactless and ham-fisted attempt to use the horror of September 11 as an excuse by the US ruling class to deter individuals or nations from standing up to the capitalist system and US imperialism.

This included and continues to include anti-capitalist protesters and the Muslim community, both of whom are overwhelmingly opposed to any kind of 'terrorism', but are persistently harassed and even labelled as "terrorists".

US foreign policy includes bombing innocent people's weddings, planning war against countries they "suspect" of harbouring weapons of mass destruction and enforcing so-called "regime-changes" or "policy reformation".

The "policy reformation" means removing leaders of the countries that are a threat to US imperialism's plan to take over the world unchallenged and uninterrupted (whether it be a military threat or just having control over precious resources).

George Bush Jnr., being the hypocritical and pathological warmonger he is, is taking steps to remove Saddam Hussein from power, by any means necessary.

There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein is a dictator, but this didn't stop the US government supporting him when it suited them. It's also painfully obvious that the US government's motives to discharge Saddam, far from being altruistic, are to further the interests of US power and profit.

If these plans go ahead it will not only affect Iraq and the surrounding nations, but the world including Britain. Bush has refused to rule out nuclear warfare from his arsenal of mayhem.

In the year 2000, the US arms spending totalled a whopping $804 billion, that's $130 per person. This money could have been better spent on feeding the 6.6 million who die of malnutrition each year.

Considering the US is the wealthiest country on earth, 45 million Americans live below the poverty line and 40% have no medical cover. This alone is a reflection of the adverse effects that capitalism has on the majority of the world's population.

The US government can turn their backs on their own people, they have no interest in standing up for ordinary people or for democracy, either in the US or worldwide.

Why should we support a government that changes its policies to support its own needs? Why should we live under an inhumane system that exploits people; causes war, lets children suffer and leaves millions starving? This is the reality of capitalism and it must be changed.

This change can only be achieved if a humane and progressive system is adopted. Socialism is the progressive system. It is the fair and rational alternative to capitalism. It is the future and the way forward.

Asylum - the real deal

The right-wing tabloid papers regularly carry articles about how asylum seekers are 'scroungers'. New Labour ministers have also whipped up anti-asylum seeker prejudice by talking about how our schools and hospitals are supposedly in danger of being 'swamped'.

The reality is that it is the government's policies of under-funding, cuts and privatisation that are responsible for the terrible state of our public services. Public spending under New Labour is still lower than it was in 14 of the 17 years of Tory government.

And the existence of asylum seekers in Britain is far from being the 'life of luxury' described by the tabloids. New rules introduced by New Labour mean that asylum seekers are not allowed to work. Many asylum seekers are qualified for skilled work and yet are forced to survive on benefits that are a pittance.

The quotes below are by an asylum seeker, C, from the Cameroon. C and his partner, M, both fled from Cameroon in fear of their safety. C arrived first in 1999 and then M followed. In Cameroon M worked as a cashier and also ran her own business. C worked for an Insurance company. The experiences he describes are 'normal' life for asylum seekers in Britain.

"I had to leave because of my political activities with the main opposition party. Cameroon is a country ruled by a despot. I got in the way because I expressed my right to freedom and they didn't like it. I had to flee for my own safety.

"When I left my country I wanted to go somewhere safe. I wasn't prepared for anything that I found here. When I arrived at Dover immigration put me in a Bed and Breakfast. They gave us �15 for four days and we had to buy food each day from this.

"When I arrived in London I was living rough. I was received by the president of the Cameroonian association who arranged somewhere for me to stay. I was sleeping on their floor. I had to rely on these people for everything, food, clothes for two months until my solicitor was able to sort out my benefit.

"To live we have to use vouchers. Previously we had to take the vouchers into the shops. It was terrible. Everyone looked at us like we were dirty. Now we exchange the vouchers at the Post Office for cash. We saved some money just in case because we weren't sure about when they would stop our money which is what happened for about two months. When we got money with our vouchers it was about �50 for the two of us for three weeks. It's not easy. Some times I thought that I was losing it.

"The home office tried to send us to Middlesbrough. We were shocked because we don't know any one there. We have made some friends in London and all the organisations for helping asylum seekers are here, like the medical foundation for the victims of torture.

"The government don't care about us. They treat us like objects they can move from one place to another. We have left families behind in Cameroon. It is very difficult. We don't know how they are. We can't speak to them. The government here should treat us like human beings. The media also treats us badly. Some of the newspapers are very mean to us.

"We are not coming here for charity. We thought that this is a democratic country and should treat people fairly whatever their race or religion. One of my friends they locked up in prison with criminals for seven months closely guarded by dogs and everything. I can't imagine how something like that can happen. You are running away from people who are torturing, locking you up and coming to some place you think is safe and this government is locking you up again.

"To say it is traumatising is an understatement. My standard of living is a lot worse here. I can't work here because they won't give me a work permit."

Kashmir - For workers' unity

The ruling classes of both India and Pakistan persecute the Kashmiri masses and deny them the right of self-determination, to an independent Kashmir. At independence from Britain in 1947, both India and Pakistan fought for control of Kashmir, and the territory was divided between the two rival states who have fought three wars involving Kashmir.

By Vaseem Khan

Democratic rights are suppressed either side of the Line of Control, and unemployment and poverty dominate. Governments in India and Pakistan have always used Kashmir to divert attention from crisis at home, and to try to increase their power.

The Indian government seized on Bush's "war against terrorism" to launch an attack on opposition groups in Indian-occupied Kashmir. They unleashed state terror on Kashmiris. Now they have called elections in Indian Occupied Kashmir attempting to legitimise their occupation.

General Pervez Musharaff military dictator of Pakistan has dismissed the elections as a rigged farce. Right wing Islamist groups have unleashed a terror campaign against the vote that has claimed the lives of more than 440 people since they were announced in August this year. This has included candidates and party workers. The Indian Army has stepped up its repressive measures to ensure the elections are successful.

Both sides at present have placed millions of troops on the line of control between India and Pakistan.

There is a potential for a nuclear conflict between both countries as they are now nuclear powers. They are determined to cling on to their part of Kashmir by any military means because of other separatist struggles in their own countries. They continue the old colonial methods of divide and rule.

But Kashmir has different traditions. The Kashmiriyat for hundreds of years promoted coexistence between Muslims and Hindus and was only abolished with partition in 1947. The 1924 strike of mainly Muslim silk workers was supported by Hindus and Sikhs. This shows the potential for unity on a class basis.

In August 2002, 10,000 Kashmiris protested against the extension of the Mangla dam in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The extension of the Mangla dam will cause the eviction of 100,000 people from their homes. Musharaff's dictatorship is exploiting Kashmir's economic wealth to the detriment of ordinary Kashmiris. Islamic reactionary groups such as Hizbul Mujahadeen have played a divisive role by splitting up mass protests against the war on Afghanistan.

Both India and Pakistan have no real solution for Kashmiris. Their solution is based on the exploitation of Kashmiris to suit their own interests. Their interests are their own profit system - this system is capitalism!

Capitalism creates profits that allow feudal landlords, politicians, and generals of both Pakistan and India to create hunger, war, and famine.

The wealth that has been created by the masses of the subcontinent belongs to the masses and not to the minority who exploit the masses. In order to control this wealth and the power that comes from this wealth a mass movement of workers and peasants is urgently required not only in Kashmir but in the subcontinent.

A mass movement of this nature should call for the withdrawal of both Indian and Pakistani troops and for a free and independent socialist Kashmir. Socialism is the only form of genuine democracy that allows the exploited people of Kashmir and the subcontinent to overthrow capitalism and to put in place a system that represents the interests of the majority and the not the minority. This system is Socialism!