Parachutes drop supplies into the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, August 12, 2025
Gaza’s collective sumud has proven more powerful than one of the world’s best-equipped militaries, but the change in international attitudes isn’t happening fast enough to save a starving population from Western-backed genocide, argues RAMZY BAROUD
THE consequences of the Israeli genocide in Gaza will be dire. An event of this degree of barbarity, sustained by an international conspiracy of moral inertia and silence, will not be relegated to history as just another “conflict” or a mere tragedy.
The Gaza genocide is a catalyst for major events to come. Israel and its benefactors are acutely aware of this historical reality. This is precisely why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in a race against time, desperately trying to ensure his country remains relevant, if not standing, in the coming era. He pursues this through territorial expansion in Syria, relentless aggression against Lebanon and, of course, the desire to annex all occupied Palestinian territories.
But history cannot be controlled with such precision. However clever he may think he is, Netanyahu has already lost the ability to influence the outcome. He has been unable to set a clear agenda in Gaza, let alone achieve any strategic goals in a 365-square-kilometre expanse of destroyed concrete and ashes. Gazans have proven that collective sumud can defeat one of the most well-equipped modern armies.
Indeed, history itself has taught us that changes of great magnitude are inevitable. The true heartbreak is that this change is not happening fast enough to save a starving population, and the growing pro-Palestinian sentiment is not expanding at the rate needed to achieve a decisive political outcome.
…
History does not take its cues from Israel or Western powers. Gaza will indeed result in the kind of global shifts that will affect us all, far beyond the Middle East. For now, however, it is most urgent that we use our collective will and action to influence one single historical event: ending the genocide and the famine in Gaza.
The rest will be left to history, and to those who wish to be relevant when the world changes again.
Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the editor of the Palestine Chronicle (www.palestinechronicle.com).
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
RMT demands Labour deliver on its promise to start the ‘biggest wave of insourcing in a generation’
RAIL union RMT held a mass meeting in Manchester today as part of its national campaign to end outsourcing on Britain’s railways.
The meeting heard from RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey, regional organiser Steve Shaw, Salford Labour MP Rebecca Long Bailey and North West TUC secretary Jay McKenna.
In a recent report, the union warned that despite government plans to bring rail franchises in-house and create the new publicly owned body Great British Railways, a “hidden layer” of contractors continues to profit from the exploitation of thousands of workers.
The report warned that such companies make their profits by keeping workers on low-paid, inferior or casual contracts, leaving them struggling to get by.
RMT argues that all rail jobs, from cleaning to catering, engineering to station services, should be brought back in-house to reverse decades of outsourcing that have driven down pay, eroded conditions and undermined safety.
The union is also pressing the Labour government to honour its pledge to deliver the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation.
Mr Dempsey said: “Outsourcing on our railways is a racket.
“Private firms are cashing in while cleaners, security staff and track workers, among others, are left struggling, often on low pay, insecure contracts and unsafe conditions.
“We have overworked cleaners, for example, working while sick, as companies like Churchill hand millions to shareholders.
“It’s totally indefensible and a waste of taxpayers’ money.”
Protesters hold placards as JD Vance drives by, Ayrshire, Scotland August 14, 2025
US VICE-president JD Vance has arrived in Ayrshire to the sound of rattling pots and a reminder of the millions being starved by the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
The protest on Wednesday formed part of ongoing action by Mothers Against Genocide, which answered the call of journalist in Gaza, Bisan Owda, for people to bang pots and pans.
Protesters are carrying out the pot banging each day at 6pm at more than 20 locations across Scotland to draw attention to the forced starvation of the people of Gaza by the Israeli regime.
But as protesters gathered outside the gates of the private Carnell Estate to greet Mr Vance, they were met by dozens of uniformed police.
A gaggle of undercover cops were also present, working in concert with US secret service personnel who roamed the public roads in golf buggies.
Initial efforts by police to move the protesters on to a “designated protest area” on a roundabout a mile away to “ensure safety” were refused, as was a later request to move from the verge in which they had gathered and on to a nearby side road.
The vice-president’s motorcade set out on the 10-mile journey from Prestwick Airport to Carnell, while police formed a cordon in front of the protesters.
But this did little to quiet the din of pots and pans, or the chants of “JD Vance, USA, how many kids did you kill today?!”
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Pressure on Germany is mounting from multiple fronts: the resilience of Gaza’s people and fighters, the global solidarity movement, and even Nicaragua’s lawsuit against the German government.
Exactly 22 months after the start of the genocide against the people of Gaza, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on August 8 that Germany would “no longer approve any exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip” – at least for now.
But many left-wing, pro-Palestinian, and peace activists in Germany remain skeptical.
What weapons are we talking about?
It quickly became clear this was not a blanket halt to German arms shipments to Israel. Weapons intended for military operations in the illegally occupied West Bank, southern Lebanon, and Syria are unaffected. So are arms for aggression against neighboring Arab states, Yemen, and Iran.
Ammunition and air-defense technology are also exempt. While officially labeled “defensive”, these systems are used to intercept rockets and drones from the resistance in Gaza, Iran, Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, and, until late last year, Hezbollah in Lebanon. So in fact they serve not just defense but also to sustain Israel’s broader policy of aggression and genocide.
The ban likely doesn’t apply to equipment for Israel’s navy either – despite its central role in enforcing the illegal blockade of Gaza’s coast. According to a 2024 study by the research group Forensis, German-built ships have also shelled Gaza from the sea. In a move that appeared to underscore this, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems announced on August 8, that it had just secured an export license for more warships and another submarine for Israel. Between 1999 and 2016, Germany delivered five nuclear-capable submarines to the Israeli government.
Arms supplier under pressure
Despite the justified criticism and inconsistency in Germany’s announcement, this partial suspension marks a significant political shift. Immediately after the Gaza genocide began, Germany quickly became Israel’s second-largest arms supplier, behind only the United States. Recently, one-third of Israel’s weapons imports came from Germany – earning the German arms sector hundreds of billions of euros in less than two years.
Merz, a staunch pro-Zionist known for hardline conservative views, open racism, and unabashed neoliberalism, previously sat on the supervisory board of BlackRock and represents the right wing of Germany’s main conservative party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). His decision drew angry reactions not only from the Netanyahu government, Zionist lobby organizations, and the right-wing press in Germany, but also from high-ranking politicians in his own party.
All that shows the mounting pressure Merz and the German government face. That pressure comes from multiple fronts: the resilience of Gaza’s people and fighters, the global solidarity movement – including in Germany – and international actions such as Nicaragua’s lawsuit against the German government.
Leon Wystrychowski is a former member of the Palästina Solidarität Duisburg (Palestine Solidarity Duisburg, PSDU).
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Protesters in New York City protest genocide in Gaza (Photo: Wyatt Souers)
Amid Israel’s starvation of Gaza, a broad coalition of pro-Palestine groups are planning a march of thousands through the streets of New York City
On Saturday, August 16, demonstrators are set to march in protest of Israel’s starvation of Gaza in a “Mass March for Humanity” through the streets of New York City. Over 200 organizations have endorsed, coming from an array of diverse backgrounds including the Palestinian diaspora, pro-Palestine solidarity groups, labor unions, anti-war groups, faith groups, and others. Buses are set to travel from across the northeastern United States, including from Baltimore, Boston, Burlington, New Hampshire, Philadelphia, Providence and Washington, DC.
Endorsing organizations include, but are not limited to, the Palestinian Youth Movement, the People’s Forum, the ANSWER Coalition, the Arab American Association of New York, the Palestinian American Organizations Network, American Muslims for Palestine, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Democratic Socialists of America, SEIU Local 509, Jewish Voice for Peace, CODEPINK, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Green Party of the United States, Healthcare Workers For Palestine, the National Women’s Studies Association, and Doctors Against Genocide.
Doctors take a stand against mass death
“Genocide will never stop without global intervention,” Dr. Nidal Jboor, the cofounder of Doctors Against Genocide, told Peoples Dispatch. In May of this year, Jboor was arrested while sitting in a US congressional building holding a sign that read “Let the children eat. Let the children live,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
“We cannot abandon the victims to the mercy of their killers. Humanity must rise, mobilize, and save the starved population of Gaza – because governments will not act unless we force them to through relentless, unyielding pressure,” said Jboor.
Members of Doctors Against Genocide, along with over 100 medical professionals across the globe who have volunteered in Gaza have signed onto a letter in solidarity with Palestinian medical workers.
“We refuse to remain silent while our colleagues are being starved, and shot by Israel,” the letter reads. “Palestinian health workers are collapsing from hunger while performing surgeries, operating without basic medical supplies, and enduring relentless attacks on hospitals, clinics, and ambulances.”
The letter demands urgent protection for Palestinian civilians and healthcare workers, an end to attacks on medical facilities, the lifting of Israel’s blockade to allow full humanitarian access, an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and accountability for those responsible for violence and abuses in Gaza.
Journalists’ contingent to denounce Israel’s targeting of Palestinian journalists
The recent assassination of six Palestinian journalists by Israeli forces, including Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif on Sunday, August 10, has fueled a surge of outrage. On Saturday, journalists and media workers will join the demonstration to denounce the attacks on their colleagues in Gaza.
Among these journalists include a group of writers organized by Writers Against the War on Gaza, a group that has been active since the first weeks of the genocide in October of 2023. WAWOG’s organizing hit the ground running with bold, targeted action against mainstream media outlets, including blocking a shipment of the New York Times newspaper at its printing plant in Queens, New York in March of 2024.
According to Nicki Kattoura, a member of WAWOG, “there is no press freedom if Palestinian journalists are being killed.”
“Israel is targeting Palestinian journalists because they are threatened by the exposure of their war crimes,” says Kattoura. “But we also find, this is not the whole story, politically, although it may be, and also feels true, psychologically.”
“One thing that we can say with certainty is that Israel is killing Palestinian journalists because they are Palestinian. The Zionist entity’s clear stated intent is to exterminate the Palestinian people,” Kattoura continued. “And I would say the killing of Hossam Shabat or Anas Al-Sharif is as much about breaking the Palestinian spirit, because they are the beloved voices of the Palestinian people, as it is about ethnically cleansing the Gaza Strip.”
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Parachutes drop supplies into the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, August 12, 2025
