--classstrugggle-flipmag CS May-2018 MKP | Page 9

World Affairs Great March of Return by Palestinian People Decades long struggle of Palestinian people for their Home Land continues. All these years, the imperialist powers, more particularly the US imperialists, on one hand, had been extending all help to the Israeli rulers to wage the wars of invasion, armed attacks, grabbing of Palestinian lands and commit all sorts of crimes against the Palestinian people. On the other hand, they were busy in dividing the Palestinian people and weakening their struggle so as to push them into a helpless state where the imperialists can dictate a solution more favourable to Israeli occupiers. Certain areas of Palestine are ruled by the Hamas as well as Palestinian Authority. But these areas are continuously attacked, encroached upon and forcibly occupied by the Israeli rulers. Lakhs of people, who were forcibly kicked out of their lands at various times, are waiting to return to their homes. Most of the Gaza residents or their descendants are “refugees” of the first Arab – Israel War. These “refugees” are living in wretched conditions of life always threatened by attacks and brutalities from the Israeli rulers. In 2009, the Israeli armed forces had resorted to a war of aggression against Gaza and subjected the Palestinian people to the acts of genocide. So, these conditions have made the struggle to defend their own lives, homes and means of life an inseparable part of Palestinian people’s lives. An Israeli blockade is continuing along a 225 km. long strip of land along the Gaza’s Israel border for over a decade. Egypt too had joined this blockade in recent times. Practically, these blockades had cut off the entire May - 2018 strip of land from rest of the world. The blockade had heavily restricted the movement of goods as well as people into and out of Gaza and had virtually turned the entire territory into an open – air prison for the Palestinian people. So, the Palestinian people had begun a six – week sit-in protest March on March 30, 2018 along the 225 km. long Israeli – Palestinian border to demand the lifting of Israeli blockade and also in support of the right of Palestinian people to return to their homes from which they were forcibly driven out by the Israeli Zionists in 1948. This protest March is participated by tens of thousands of Palestinian people. It is called “The Great March of Return”. It is scheduled to culminate on May 15, when the Palestinian people mark “Nakba” or “Catastrophe” – the day when hundreds of thousands of Palestinian people were forced to flee or driven out of their homes in 1948. This March is considered as the biggest mass action by the Palestinian people since 2014. But the Israeli troops had indiscriminately fired at the peaceful marchers and killed 27 people. They fired the teargas shells and wounded at least 1400 people. These brutal attacks and killings had triggered off wide- spread condemnation from the people and human Rights groups in the world. But, the Israeli rulers, as usual, arrogantly refuse to take the responsibility for the crimes of their troops against the Palestinian people. The Israeli Defence Minister even said that the “Israeli soldiers deserve a medal” as they did what was necessary to protect the borders. A statement, drafted by Kuwait on March 31, 2018, calling for an independent investigation into the killings was blockaded by the US in the UNSC. So, the Palestinian pwop0le have no other way except to continue and further intensify their struggle for their just rights. All the justice and peace loving people must extend their support and solidarity to the ongoing protest movement and demands of the Palestinian people like; 1) The Israeli rulers must lift the blockade to enable the Palestinian people to move freely and with no restrictions in and out of Gaza; ii) to suitably punish those responsible for the killing of Palestinian people in the context of March, 2018 peoples March; iii) the Palestinian people who were driven out of their homes at different times since 1948 must be allowed to freely return to their homes and live with all rights. ™ C.P.I(ML) Publication Centenary of Great October Socialist Revolution Seminar Papers For Details: P.Jaswantha Rao, Secretary, T.N.Memorial Trust, 32-13-26/1, M.R.Puram, Vijayawada, pin-520 010. 9