The protest movement globally and the protests in Israel must be directed at the root of the genocidal war
Per-Åke Westerlund – From Offensiv, weekly paper of Socialistiskt Alternativ (ISA in Sweden)
(This article was first published on 19 August 2025)
One million people in Israel participated in protests on Sunday against the escalated genocidal war in Gaza. At the same time, the Israeli far-right government and military continue their starvation and bombing campaign to achieve their planned ethnic cleansing.
It marks a new stage in the protests in Israel, and it also shows that an even more extensive struggle is needed, anchored in the workplaces, for a real general strike with clear demands for an end to the war, the occupation, the siege and the oppression of Palestinians, linking up with the extensive international protests.
The protest day, which was called a general strike, was prepared when Netanyahu’s far-right government decided to take control of all of Gaza. There were strikes, highway blockades and demonstrations. Half a million demonstrated in Tel Aviv alone, and a million throughout the country.
The main demand was an end to the war and that Netanyahu’s government must resign. The government used both riot police and mounted police against the demonstrators and around 50 were arrested.
It was the largest day of protest since the mass protests a year ago, when even the leadership of the Israeli trade union federation, the Histadrut, which supports the government’s war, was pressured to declare a one-day general strike. The pressure from below came mainly from relatives and everyone involved in the movement to return the hostages in Gaza. It was also supported by several companies and bourgeois politicians. However, the movement last year stalled when the government immediately afterwards launched an offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which the official opposition in Israel supported.
Both the general strike on September 2, 2024, and Sunday’s protest show the strength of mass protests. But they also show crucial dangers and weaknesses. The course of Netanyahu’s government has not been fundamentally shaken by protests led by bourgeois politicians and not directed against the entire genocidal war and its roots in the long oppression of Palestinians, the occupation and the blockade.
Netanyahu commented that Sunday’s protests will lead to new October 7 attacks. Now, the government continues the genocide, with the immediate goal of expelling those remaining in Gaza City. The rest of Gaza’s population is already displaced to minimal tent camps. Parts of the camps are being targeted, as in the attack that killed six journalists, including Anas al-Sharif of Al Jazeera. The camps lack water, food and medicine as part of the deliberate blockade.
At the same time, a new massive settlement is being launched to completely divide the West Bank in two, with escalated attacks by the military and settlers. The Israeli military is also continuing its military attacks on Yemen, Syria and Lebanon.
What is needed in Israel now is an escalated struggle, with meetings in the workplaces, preparing for a real general strike followed by escalation. However, a one-day strike will not be enough, more organization will be needed with a clear goal to bring down the government.
Socialists in Israel report on statements from journalists, health workers, university employees and other workers who are demanding an end to the war. Grassroots organizing must be expanded, as must the organization of socialists with an internationalist, revolutionary socialist program.
The protest movement globally and the protests in Israel must be directed at the root of the genocidal war – the occupation, the historical oppression of Palestinians, and now urgently against the famine war, with demands for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
The global movement is shaking governments around the world, who hypocritically try to distance themselves from the war. A corresponding process is at the moment also taking place in Israel. It is the working class internationally, especially in the Middle East, that holds the key to stopping the war. The fight against genocide is also a fight against imperialism and the capitalist system that created national oppression and wars.
