The history of Palestine is complex and very disheartening. They were a slowly developing people when the European colonial project of Zionism came to fruition. Zionism was the sentiment that Jews had the right to a nation-state in the land of Palestine, which they call Israel. It was a white European colonialist venture shrouded in the guise of religion and Jewish persecution. As antisemitism rose, Europeans looking to colonize took advantage of the plight of the Jews and used it to settle in Palestine. The native Palestinians were forced from their homes by the European settlers, their peoples taken over by the British under the Mandate for Palestine, soon becoming the state of Israel. They were segregated from Jewish areas and constantly treated as second-class citizens. The Palestinians have always been treated as inferior to the Israeli Jew. Over a hundred years later, Palestine is still subject to this brutal ethnic cleansing posed by Israel and its forces, but much worse, they are now the victims of a violent genocide at the behest of Israel and the United States. The most saddening part of this genocide is that the entire world is present, and almost every national government is responsible in some form. But very few are combating them, and the ones that are never do enough to stop them. But no government, aside from Israel, is more responsible than the United States. There is only one way we can truly stop this genocide: class consciousness.
The United States government is the largest contributor to Israel, having spent over $300 billion on Israel’s economy and military since its founding in 1948. A majority of these funds are used for the Israeli Defense Forces. The IDF has used these weapons to relentlessly bomb Gaza (a region of Palestine) and kill Palestinians in the West Bank (another region of Palestine), as well as in Gaza. Gaza is flattened, and some cities have been completely wiped out. Their aid has been cut off. They have no access to clean water, food, or healthcare. Hospitals are being bombed. Children are being sniped down in the streets. Families have been torn apart. Over 2,700 family bloodlines have been wiped out by Israel’s violent ethnic cleansing. Since the recent ceasefire agreement, 591 Palestinians have been murdered by the IDF, and since 2023, the Palestinian death toll has reached over 72,000, around 20,000 being children. It was recently revealed that the IDF has been using experimental US-made thermal technology to, quite literally, evaporate thousands of Palestinians, including children. Israel has continuously violated international law and has committed several human rights atrocities. Because US politicians are bipartisan in funding and protecting Israel, our government is just as responsible for this ongoing genocide.
Class consciousness is when the majority of the working class fully realizes their place in the class structure. This is an idea, primarily, under socialist theory. The class system has existed in various forms throughout history. But today it is largely seen through the bourgeoisie class (the owner class) and the proletariat (the worker class). The means of production is controlled by owners of capital, aka capitalists. The working class, by nature, cannot be a capitalist, as they produce capital but do not own it. Capitalism only thrives because the current working class is blind to its truth. It blinds people through manipulation. The social ideas of race, gender, political boundaries, etc., are all vital assets of capitalism. They exist to further divide the working class. These divisions create chaos, pitting workers against one another, distracting from the actions of the elite and protecting them from losing capital. Class consciousness is the universal sentiment that the working class must unite under one banner to overthrow the capitalist class. Through class consciousness, workers would rise against fascism, dismantling the system that makes it possible for a country like Israel to even exist.
How do we achieve class consciousness? A major aspect of class consciousness is organizing and community. Many leftists (anyone who is too far left to be liberal), in today’s world, spend most of their time online spouting about how liberals and conservatives are dumb and performative. This is just a waste of energy, and often does more harm than good. The only way to spread consciousness is by organizing. Go outside and touch grass, literally. Respect yourself and your neighbors as human beings. Respect your environment. Set up community groups with the purpose of educating and providing aid to those in need. We are all in this together. A great example of organizing was with the Black Panther Party, a militant Black socialist organization that was a vital part of American history. Starting in 1969, they provided over 20,000 meals to school children by 1971. That is true power. Not only did the Black Panther Party aid those in need, but they also educated many Black Americans and protected them against police, organizing and combating. They spread a consciousness of power through their networking as well. The organization later fell because the FBI dismantled it internally. The government has always despised anything going against the capitalist system. That’s why liberalism and conservatism are allowed to exist in our political system, and socialism isn’t. They reside within the capitalist framework, even if liberalism is somewhat progressive. But this cannot be realized through semantics; only through action.
I, along with about 20 or so people, have recently started a socialist group in Carroll County, the Carroll County Bloom Project. We organized a protest last week, actually. As a group, we understand that small-town protests can often be reactionary, but they are a great place to network and share community, while also showing that people do care. Aside from planning future protests, we are also trying to set up a “Food Not Bombs” chapter in Carrollton to help feed underprivileged communities in the area. I urge readers of this blog to do something in their community to help others and educate themselves on the importance of worker solidarity in a world where fascism is more alive than ever. It is a shameful privilege to think one is the exception to fascism. If they come for your neighbor, they will come for you too.
The Golden Thread 
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