COLUMBIA FACULTY AND STAFF MEET WITH GENOCIDAL RACISTS | CONGRESS CHEERS FOR NETANYAHU'S WAR CRIMES | ANOTHER ADVANCE OF ANSARALLAH

Contents:

I. COLUMBIA FACULTY AND STAFF SUPPORTING ISRAEL (FSI) SENDS DELEGATION TO MEET WITH GENOCIDAL RACISTS

II. STANDING OVATION FOR GENOCIDE: CONGRESS CHEERS FOR NETANYAHU'S WAR CRIMES

III. ANOTHER ADVANCE OF ANSARALLAH

IV. REVOLUTION VS. REFORMISM, SPONTANEITY VS. STRATEGY

V. FUNDRAISERS

VI. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

COLUMBIA FACULTY AND STAFF SUPPORTING ISRAEL (FSI) SENDS DELEGATION TO MEET WITH GENOCIDAL RACISTS

Columbia Faculty and Staff Supporting Israel (FSI) recently sent a number of their members to Israel, where they postured about seeking "to build a shared society" while posing for photos with a who's who of Israeli racists. Any mention of the mass slaughter Israel is currently perpetrating against Palestinians was glaringly absent.

The delegation met with Cochav Elkayam-Levy, a supposed "civil rights lawyer" who even the Israeli media has accused of fraud. She is the founder of the "Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children," an organization which is neither civil nor a commission, as it seems to have just been set up by Elkayam-Levy to skim money from donors hungry to portray Palestinians as sexually rabid non-humans. Elkayam-Levy is certainly chomping at the bit to do just this, though: she propagated a story, proven wrong long before she recited it to numerous media sources, about a Hamas militant cutting out a fetus of a pregnant Israeli while raping her. The racism is so glaring here that mentioning it feels like a waste of words. One cringes to think about the racist drivel she would have written in her "Horrors Report" about "mass rapes" committed during Al-Aqsa Flood, a report that was cited when the Israeli Ministry of Education awarded her the "Israel Prize in the field of Solidarity." The problem, though, is that she never wrote any report of the kind. It's nonexistent.

To be fair, it's pretty hard to write a report on mass rapes when evidence of them does not actually exist.

The delegation also met with former Israeli minister Natan Sharansky. Sharansky, after a long career spent approving illegal settlements in the West Bank and speaking against Palestinian statehood, has now set himself up as an authority on antisemitism. Which, according to him, includes anti-Zionism. He helped enshrine this distortion into the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which has been used to smear pro-Palestinian organizers. This is why, as we have said again and again, false smears of antisemitism against our movement — where numerous Jewish organizers plan actions, put their bodies on the line, and even host Passover seders during encampments — are not good faith criticisms but simply attempts to build rhetorical ground for the state and institutions to repress us.

Most reprehensibly, the delegation met with and was hosted by the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog. A number of Columbia professors met with the president of a nation that is bombing hundreds of city blocks, that is starving hundreds of thousands, that blows up hospitals and schools and has turned all the universities in Gaza to rubble; a nation whose soldiers shoot children through the head and chest, pose with underwear of displaced Palestinians, desecrate cemeteries, destroy water sources; a nation which has committed and is committing innumerable war crimes.

This delegation is just another example of how Columbia FSI is dedicated to making sure the genocide continues.

STANDING OVATION FOR GENOCIDE: CONGRESS CHEERS FOR NETANYAHU'S WAR CRIMES

After a bullet grazed Trump’s ear on July 13th, bipartisan platitudes of "unity" rang out from opportunistic politicians past and present. Of course, these capitalist politicians are united by their fear of a disgruntled working class. In fact, our comrades know that in reality, unity has existed amongst these warmongering imperialist puppets long before this failed assassination attempt.

Despite the cultural controversies that each party sensationalizes to maintain the facade of disagreement, the reality is that both parties are united on issues that secure the wealth and power of the imperialist class, particularly, issues of economics and foreign policy.

This imperialistic unity was on flagrant display this past Wednesday when genocidal war criminal Netanyahu addressed congress in a joint meeting. As he stood before a room of eager sycophants, he affirmed his role as leader of the primary US welfare state. He invoked images of lions and biblical strength in a desperate attempt to project control over the situation in Gaza. He declared, "Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory," in what was an overt declaration of shared culpability. Yet, this facade slipped as he devolved into petulant whining, demanding the US provide weapons of genocide faster. These deranged pleas come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. Netanyahu flailed before Congress just as his economy and occupation forces flail back home. 

While he foamed at the mouth discussing his desire to annihilate the people of Gaza and branded US citizens protesting genocide as “Iran’s useful idiots,” ravenous applause and chanting erupted from Congress. 

Our comrades understand that Congress is not designed to represent the interests of the people, but rather those of the ruling class. It is in the interest of these genocide profiteers to suppress and villainize protest, framing it as nefarious foreign interference. As long as the reign of imperialism continues, so shall our resistance.

Protestors at the Capitol mobilized in full force. They burned American flags and effigies of Netanyahu, graffitied monuments, and dyed the water in several fountains near the Capitol a vivid red, symbolizing the bloodshed in Gaza and our government's culpability. At the Watergate Hotel, where Netanyahu stayed, protestors released maggots and crickets on banquet tables and activated fire alarms, ensuring the Zionist war criminal found no rest.

ANOTHER ADVANCE OF ANSARALLAH

On July 19th, Ansarallah launched the Yafa Operation, striking a drone at the heart of Tel Aviv. The drone hit a high-security area just a block away from the US embassy branch, killing one and injuring at least 10. This marked the first Ansarallah attack to reach israel and the first time since October 7th that Tel Aviv was struck by a resistance group. According to Ansarallah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the Yemeni-made drone traveled over 2000km, penetrating layers of US-funded billion-dollar radar systems undetected. Building on their decade-long experiences of fighting US imperialist-backed forces, Ansarallah has successfully developed new weapons throughout their steadfast support of the Palestinian counteroffensive led by Hamas. Ansarallah has once again shown the world that even the most advanced and expensive technology of the imperialists stand powerless against the patient, courageous, and creative endeavors of war waged by the oppressed masses.

The triumphant drone strike materializes following Ansarallah’s unequivocal successes in their months-long operation of thwarting US and British enemy ships in the Red Sea from reaching the zionist entity, and even the US has declared that Ansarallah cannot be defeated militarily. The decline in the number of enemy ships in the Red Sea has been substantial, so much so that the Port of Eilat, the only israeli port in the Red Sea, has announced bankruptcy due to an 85% decrease in shipments, where just a single enemy ship reached the port in recent months. The victorious operations have been carried out primarily by Ansarallah and advanced by the participation of resistance groups in Iraq and Bahrain in a united front that precipitated in support of Al-Aqsa Flood.

Palestinian resistance groups broadcasted messages of reverence towards Ansarallah’s advancements in the days following the strike, praising them for “supporting the oppressed and stopping the zionist oppression at a time when the international system, established for this purpose, conspires and colludes with the criminal zionist entity against our people.” 

The Yafa Operation reverberated a sense of insecurity throughout the zionist entity, and the IOF retaliated with a frenzy of bombings on Hodeidah in Yemen, killing at least 6 and wounding 90. Al-Houthi maintained that no amount of zionist attacks will change their steadfast support for the Palestinian people, and that more operations targeting Tel Aviv are on their way. Meanwhile, on the following day, Netanyahu made his way to whine to his heinous imperialist headmasters, scurrying inside Congress away from protestors who demonstrated that he is not welcome anywhere. For a genocidal lackey like Netanyahu, it is only the principal oppressors of the world – the bloodthirsty US imperialists – who will pamper him with applauses and genocidal dollars. On the other hand, advances like the Yafa Operation garner the celebration of masses in their millions and billions, who embrace these victories as their own.

Everything develops through the dying of the old and the upgrowth of the new. Resistance forces grow, while imperialists shrink and decay. Let us do our part and get organized to support the growing resistance and fight the decaying imperialists, beginning with conquering our immediate demand for Columbia to divest from genocide.

REVOLUTION VS. REFORMISM, SPONTANEITY VS. STRATEGY

In our recent reading group, we delved into the first two chapters of Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of The Earth: "On Violence" and "Grandeur and Weakness of Spontaneity." Our discussion underscored the pivotal role of revolutionary violence in the process of decolonization. Fanon eloquently describes violence as a force that liberates the colonized from their ingrained inferiority complex and restores their dignity. This central theme resonated deeply with us, emphasizing that decolonization is inherently a violent phenomenon, a clash of forces that cannot go unnoticed. As Fanon asserts, "Decolonization never takes place unnoticed, for it influences individuals and modifies them fundamentally. It transforms spectators crushed with their inessentiality into privileged actors, with the grandiose glare of history's floodlights upon them. It brings a natural rhythm into existence, introduced by new men, and with it a new language and a new humanity. Decolonization is the veritable creation of new men."

Our discussion contrasted the efficaciousness of revolution with the ineffectiveness of reformism, which we identified as fundamentally anti-revolutionary. Reformism, we agreed, aims merely to make capitalism tolerable enough to prevent uprisings. One comrade highlighted Fanon's observation that demonstrations that stay within the confines of the system serve as a safety valve, allowing people to "work off their energy" without posing a real threat to the ruling class. This point led to a broader discussion on the limited impact of "sanctioned" actions such as marches and rallies, which can be easily ignored by those in power. In stark contrast, armed struggle and direct action carried out by the masses cannot be dismissed so easily. Fanon's reminder that nothing is gained from the kindness of our enemies reinforced the necessity of imposing our demands through force.

The conversation also touched on the anti-revolutionary role of individualism, particularly in the context of electoral politics. One comrade pointed out that while representatives of the imperialist system might occasionally offer concessions, true freedom cannot be achieved under imperialism. This led to a critical discussion on the revolutionary potential within the United States. We debated how we could best support and promote revolutionary struggles both globally and domestically. One comrade highlighted Fanon's assertion about the indispensable role of leaders who genuinely represent the people: “Violence alone, perpetrated by the people, violence organized and guided by the leadership, provides the key for the masses to decipher social reality. Without this struggle, without this praxis there is nothing but a carnival parade and a lot of hot air.” One comrade noted the absence of such leadership in the U.S. and expressed the need for a party that truly leads and represents the masses rather than the interests of the imperialists, a party that rejects electoralism and bases its strength on its connections to the masses, mobilizing and organizing them for their demands toward the seizure of power.

Another interesting point of discussion was Fanon's references to religion, which sparked a dialogue on the role of Islam in revolutionary struggles. One comrade noted that in Islam, patience is not passive but rather an active encouragement to fight for rights. This aligned with a broader conversation on the Axis of Resistance and the necessity of viewing these movements dialectically. We recognized that while we might disagree with certain beliefs, our primary contradiction remains with imperialism. Hence, we must support those who actively resist imperialist forces. One comrade reiterated a point from last session's readings about the importance of not propagating the enemy's narratives.

In sum, our reading group reaffirmed the essential nature of revolutionary violence as articulated by Fanon and highlighted the limitations of reformist and individualistic approaches. The need for genuine, representative leadership and a clear focus on the primary contradiction of imperialism were central themes that emerged from our discussion, reinforcing our commitment to a militant and disciplined revolutionary praxis.

If you would like to join the CUAD Reading Group, please email us at cuadthebarricade@proton.me. 

FUNDRAISERS

Help me rebuild my life & my family's home

Help my orphaned grandchildren escape Gaza

Help Gaza family evacuate out of Rafah

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

We would love to hear your comments, critiques, and perspectives! If you would like to contribute to The Barricade, please email cuadthebarricade@proton.me.

DIVEST AND BOYCOTT THE GENOCIDAL APARTHEID STATE OF SO-CALLED ISRAEL

GRANT COMPLETE AMNESTY TO STUDENT PROTESTORS

LONG LIVE THE STUDENT INTIFADA

LONG LIVE THE PALESTINIAN NATIONAL RESISTANCE

FREE PALESTINE FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA WITHIN OUR LIFETIME

GLORY TO ALL OUR MARTYRS