Here it is (from Reddit Archive):
“Initial Investigations into the U.$, Pro-Palestine Left, Locally and Nationally (Part 2)” part 1
If you haven't read both part 1 of this investigation and the articles linked within it, especially this one,
go do that now as this investigation builds off of those ideas and research.
Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/18jbhti/initial_investigations_into_the_u_propalestine/
What was evident in the first half of this investigation was that there are particular ideas and tactics certain forces have gathered around - BDS, ceasefire, protests, etc. While just by initial inspection, to some, these ideas correlate to the class outlook of those that gather around it. However, in the spirit of Mao and Marxism as a whole, we must investigate where these ideas come from. As Marxists we are looking for correct ideas, ideas that advance the grounds of revolution toward liberation. Social practice is where these correct ideas come from, Mao lists three kinds of social practice, "the struggle for production, the class struggle and scientific experiment." As I will hopefully be able to show, it is not just Marxists that are interested in correct ideas, ideas that further one's cause, or in the converse, for the bourgeois, ideas that perpetuate the already-existing social relationships that exist, imperialism, settler-colonialism, capitalism, etc., of which this class benefits from.
Align our Perspective with the People of Palestine:
Let's start where we left off. I concluded with a summary of the situation wherein there exists a backwards-middle force among the petit-bourgeois that limits or prevents the advancement of advanced-middle forces into advanced forces. Looking back that framing was a bit clunky and so I will just refer the backwards-middle forces as backwards, advanced-middle as middle, and advanced as itself, though with some reframing around who the advanced are, articulated below.
Since the goal is to unite the advanced forces, win over the middle, and isolate the backwards, our outlook should align with that of the advanced. Instead of the few people who were interested in the Palestinian Resistance here in the u.$. making up the advanced forces, I will look to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as a group to situate the advanced forces in.
Here is polling data that has come out of Palestine itself that shows where Palestinians thoughts are politically:
(open this in a separate tab to refer to as I will be referencing the figures presented here)
As stated in the article: "The sample size of this poll is 1231 adults, of whom 750 were interviewed face to face in the West Bank and 481 in the Gaza Strip in 121 randomly selected locations. The sample is representative of the residents of the two areas."
Going over the data:
Figure 1 shows at a basic level, a majority of Palestinians view the Al Aqsa Flood as a correct decision by Hamas. Of special note are the contradictions between the West Bank and Gaza and their respective data. While still being overall supportive of Oct 7, Gazans are slightly more divided over it. I would infer that the sheer devastation being waged on the Strip is what contributes to this partial divide but anyone with more knowledge on the contradictions between the West Bank and Gaza is encouraged to elaborate on this point or criticize it in the comments.
Figure 2 gives a look into the dire conditions of the strip currently, something that cannot be overstated.
Figure 4 highlights the racism of liberals playing the both sides card.
Number 5 (no graph was provided) is a very important figure that presents the question of a ceasefire. Unfortunately there's no visual to accompany this data but overall, the question of a ceasefire highlights key contradictions in Palestine. With the Gaza Strip facing the bulk of the devastation by the zionist entity, faith in victory from Hamas and the Resistance is up in the air, and understandably so. The West Bank, which still faces i$raeli oppression but hasn't seen the same level of devastation as Gaza, is more united around the idea of victory. While I'm almost certain the Resistance is currently trying to navigate this contradiction in order to build/maintain unity among Palestinians, this is also crucial for anti-imperialists in the west to grapple with as a ceasefire in its current form and context will inevitably lead to normalization (discussed at the end of this post), however it could be inferred from the data that a ceasefire is something that could be presented coercively by imperialist forces to Gazans as immanent to their survival, and thus a possible means of dividing support for armed struggle between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. However, there are some positive developments which may provide insight for the path forward.
Figures 7-9 present noteworthy data but will be skipped for now just for brevity. (Discussion about them in the comments is encouraged)
Figure 16 presents the most promising outlook for advancing Palestinian Liberation. Comparing support for armed resistance before and after Oct. 7, we can see a drastic increase mostly on behalf of the West Bank, with some increase towards a larger majority in the Gaza Strip. Despite splits over the outlook on victory, armed struggle is an area of increasing unity among Palestinians. The significance for anti-imperialists in the West is that this an area around which Palestinians are becoming united and leads to their liberation. Combatting the forces which seek to disrupt that unity, in various ways - i.e. permanent ceasefire and counterrevolutionary genocide claims, should be an essential component of an anti-imperialist line in the imperial core.
Deeper discussions over these figures will warrant an entire separate post, but for now they should be kept in mind as we return focus back to the u.$., "Pro"-Palestine Left as a national force.
Anti-Zionist NGOs, A Wolf in a Bloodied Keffiyeh:
As much as Leftists sometimes like to pat themselves on the back for pointing out how charities and NGOs are funded by so-called "capitalists," (a pretty childish term at this point) they have been entirely silent on how the so-called, "Non-Profit Industrial Complex" has been guiding them after the events of the Al-Aqsa Flood. Perhaps this isn't a particular surprise to some, but below I will present the counter-revolutionary role of NGOs with the key insight around the part it plays in the dialectical development of imperialist, petit-bourgeois politics.
First I'll start with a contradiction the u.$. bourgeois faces. The existence of i$rael, therefore the elimination of Palestine, is of material benefit to u.$. finance capital's interests, oil, trade routes, markets, etc. But in maintaining this relationship, contradictions arise like that of Palestinian Resistance to i$rael, and are "solved" (deferred) through various means, a principal among which is normalization. Oct. 7 presented a qualitative rupture toward the advancement of Palestinian Liberation, thus, for the bourgeois, a new situation requiring new methods to return back to normalization. As noted in the prior investigation, the i$raeli p.r. machine is now an outdated form of that normalization. There is simply too much footage of carnage coming from Gaza to be able to rely on the framing of "defense" by i$rael. As of writing this investigation now, even "mainstream media" outlets are in the process of covering the destruction and genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip without the usual level of groveling for i$rael. Suffice to say, the old form of Zionism is dead. In its place, a form of Zionism that had been developing alongside it has emerged.
To cover the entire extent of the interconnections between various NGOs, their funders, the directors of those funds, and those directors' immediate connections with the state and finance capital, would require a longer and more involved investigation than what this one can cover (and would be questionable how much of a benefit it would be to political line versus the amount of effort that would take). However, from the research I have already done I can give some general summary and highlight key, recurring aspects.
In the realm of Palestine-i$rael politics in the u.$., there are two recurring finance capital entities: Open Society Foundations (OSF) and Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF). While these are technically NGOs, I am citing them as the most direct connection to finance capital. For quick proof, OSF controls a total of $5.89 billion in assets, and RBF controls a total of $1.65 billion (figures from 2021). https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131760106
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/137029285
