Robert Reid | Chairperson FFPS
After 460 days of relentless Israeli aggression on Gaza and fierce armed resistance by the Palestinian people, the two sides have agreed to a ceasefire. The first phase of the agreement will took effect on January 19. Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle (FFPS) joins the Palestinian people and all peace- and freedom-loving peoples of the world in celebrating this victory of the Palestinian people’s steadfastness and welcoming home Khalida Jarrar and all other freed political prisoners.
As the International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS) said in their statement, “The ceasefire is not due to any good will on the part of the Zionists or their imperialist, fascist funders, but instead was forced due to the military defeats and international isolation of the Zionists diplomatically.” Despite the US-backed genocidal war of extermination waged on Gaza by Israel, they were unable to subdue the Palestinian resistance. This proves once again that it is the people who are decisive – not the amount of bombs, other weapons, or the vicious violence of imperialist paper tigers.
As we celebrate this victory of the Palestinian people, we also know that the struggle is far from over. Throughout the genocidal attacks, the US and its NATO allies supplied billions of dollars in military aid and arms to Israel. It is essential that we continue to further expose and isolate US imperialism and its allies around the world.
The steadfast Palestinian resistance and the significant blows it has dealt to US imperialism also underscore the importance of national liberation struggles worldwide as an integral part of the global anti-imperialist movement.
Amid its ongoing pivot to Asia, the US was forced to spend billions of dollars and essential resources in its war effort in the Middle East, spreading itself thinner. Likewise, the Philippine revolution prevents US imperialism from using the Philippines as a launching pad for further aggression in Asia-Pacific.
With the increase in US aggression and war-mongering around the world, greater support for national liberation struggles is even more urgent. The US has continued its military aggression in Asia-Pacific in an effort to encircle China, and under Philippine President Marcos Jr., increased the number of US military bases and facilities from four to around 20. The US has furthermore committed $500 million in military aid to the Philippines in 2024, and has proposed a $2.5 billion package for 2025-2029 as part of its direct support to the violent “counterinsurgency” war waged against the Filipino people by the US-Marcos regime.
The US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza has starkly shown to the world the brutality and plain evil of imperialism. It is our task to further expose the rottenness of US imperialism and its local lackeys, and to isolate these internationally. It is critical to highlight the urgency of fighting imperialism and supporting national liberation struggles as essential components of the anti-imperialist struggle. These armed revolutions are crucial to striking imperialism at its weakest links and to turn imperialist war and inter-imperialist contradictions into revolutionary wars of liberation.
Therefore, let us broaden our anti-imperialist solidarity with the oppressed peoples of the world, stand firm with the steadfast Palestinian people’s resistance for national liberation, and strengthen our support for the Philippine revolution as an essential counter to US imperialist war in the Asia-Pacific and as a just struggle for national and social liberation.