A year since October 7 attacks, Filipino progressives join global call against Israel genocide in Gaza
October 7 marks the Al-Aqsa Flood, an operation led by Hamas and Palestinian nationalist groups to resist the illegal occupation of Israel in Gaza.
By DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — Progressive activists under the banner of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) stood in solidarity with the Palestinian people by organizing a protest march in Manila last Friday, October 5, as part of the Global Day of Action for Palestine.
It has been a year since the Al-Aqsa Flood (October 7 attacks), an operation led by Hamas and Palestinian nationalist groups to resist the illegal occupation of Israel in Gaza. Israel launched counter attacks which violated the international humanitarian law (IHL) by targeting civilians and non-military objectives.
The struggle of Palestinian people for liberation against illegal occupation has been ongoing for decades. Since the Nakba, which happened 75 years ago, Israeli forces have been violently driving Palestinians off their ancestral lands.
During the protest, the Philippine National Police (PNP) blocked the marching groups from reaching the US Embassy. Raymond Palatino, secretary general of Bayan, said that instead of protecting the infrastructure of the United States, the Philippine government should be standing with Palestine.
“We are standing on our grounds that the Philippine government should align itself with the freedom of Palestine, instead of supporting US imperialism,” Palatino said.
In a statement, Bayan said that they denounce and condemn the US-backed genocide in Palestine and the bombings by Israel in Lebanon and Syria.
“Over the past year, more than 41,000 Palestinians were killed through direct airstrikes and gunfire, and more than 300,000 have died through forced starvation, disease, and the bombing of hospitals and evacuation centers. Israel has recently escalated the carnage it is committing by invading Lebanon and bombing Syria,” Bayan added.
The data is backed by the United Nations (UN) in separate reports. In fact, it also reported that 96 percent of the population, some 2.15 million people, has been facing acute food insecurity due to the restriction in humanitarian access.
Lebanon has been the recent victim of heavy bombardment of Israel. Israeli warplanes carried out more than 30 air raids overnight on September 23, which again, had violated IHL for hitting civilian infrastructure and killing civilians backed by UN’s refugee chief Filippo Grandi.
“The genocide in Palestine is a reminder that US imperialism does not stand for peace and justice, and it remains the biggest threat to humanity. As the US government supplies Israel with weapons of mass destruction, it is expanding its military presence in various parts of the world, including in the Philippines, to advance its geopolitical interest,” said Bayan.
In the report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US was accounted for 69 percent of Israel’s weapon imports from 2019 to 2023.
“It supplied a variety of major arms, including aircraft, armoured vehicles, missiles and ships. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rely heavily on arms imports from the USA. For example, all currently active combat aircraft in the Israeli air force were supplied by the USA with special modifications for Israeli use,” the report reads.
Meanwhile, Germany was accounted for 30 percent of the arm imports, and Italy for 0.9 percent in the same timeframe. In total, the three countries have been the major supplier of Israel on its military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon, which are clear violations of the Geneva Conventions.
States have committed to ensuring that their decisions in arm transfer are still under the purvey of IHL and international human rights law. All the three top exporter countries have ratified IHL, rendering them accountable for rights violations.
In addition to this, Bayan also condemned the decision of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to allow the establishment of US bases and “store missiles in various parts of the country.”
The number of military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) of the Philippines and US have increased in the administration of Marcos. The original bases are Antonio Bautista Air Base (Palawan), Cesar Basa Air Base (Pampanga), Benito Ebuen Air Base (Cebu), Fort Magsaysay (Nueva Ecija), and Lumbia Airport (Cagayan de Oro). In 2023, four new bases were announced to be added, particularly Naval Station Narciso del Rosario (Palawan), Camp Melchor F. dela Cruz (Isabela), Lal-li Airport (Cagayan), and Naval Base Camilo Osias (Cagayan).
“Despite the US support of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, the Marcos government continues to insist that the US will help defend the country’s sovereignty,” said Bayan.
They also demanded for the expulsion of US bases, the removal of US troops in the Philippines, and the cancellation of arms sales that involve Israel.
Israel is known as one of the largest arms suppliers of the Philippines. In 2023 alone, around $40.33 million was spent to buy Israel’s arms, ammunition, and other military accessories. Israel is also reportedly eyeing the military modernization initiative of the Philippines that cost $36 billion.
“Our people’s money should not be used to finance genocide and to commit terrorism in Palestine. The same weapons killing the Palestinian people are also being used to bomb rural communities in the Philippines,” Bayan added. (RVO)
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