John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), wrote the following recently:
It’s fantastic to see vast Palestine solidarity actions in the major cities but pay close attention to the numbers taking to the streets in smaller centres. This is a powerful indication of the depth and potential of the movement that is now awakening.
I have substantial reservations about the real impact of such movements–especially in relation to their impact on stopping the genocide that has occurred and continues to occur in Gaza and the West Bank. Has Israel changed its policies in any significant way?
Again, unless the labour movement can be galvanized into not just declaring against Israeli’s actions but practically engages in material efforts that prevent the supply of war material to Israel, it is unlikely that such efforts will save the Palestinians from mass slaughter. Indeed, there has already been mass slaughter–but not much in the way of coordinated efforts to limit Israel’s imports and thus to affect the Israeli economic and war machine in any significant way.
The Abolitionary 