The current escalation of the Zionist aggression against Gaza and Lebanon marks yet another chapter in the brutal and ongoing violence perpetrated by "Israel" against the Palestinian and Lebanese people. For the past 12 months, "Israel" has been committing a genocide in Gaza, further intensifying the suffering of a population that has endured more than 16 years of siege. Now Israeli military attacks in Lebanon have escalated, with intensive bombing campaigns, largely targeting civilian areas.

In this context, it is now urgent for the anti-imperialist movement in the imperialist centers not only to speak out but to escalate its resistance. The time for passive solidarity is over. What is needed now is a sustained and powerful movement that challenges the complicity of our own government and supports the just struggle for liberation of the Palestinian and Lebanese people. This article is a call to action, urging those of us in the heart of imperialism to step up our protests and stand firmly against Zionist aggression and the structures of global imperialism that support it.

Historical continuity of zionist aggression and Western support

The ongoing onslaught against Gaza and Lebanon cannot be seen in a vacuum. It is the latest manifestation of a settler-colonial project that has been ongoing for over a century, supported and sustained by Western imperial powers. The roots of Zionist expansionism can be traced back to the early 20th century, culminating in the Nakba of 1948, when more than 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes during the creation of "Israel". This event laid the foundations for a system of ethnic cleansing and apartheid that continues to this day.

"Israel's" occupation of Palestinian territories following the 1967 Six-Day War further entrenched its colonial ambitions, with illegal settlements expanding throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem in direct violation of international law. Gaza, meanwhile, has been subjected to one of the harshest blockades in modern history since 2007, turning it into an open-air prison where over two million Palestinians live under siege and deprived of basic human rights.

In Lebanon, Zionist aggression has followed a similarly destructive pattern. After the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, "Israel" occupied southern Lebanon for almost two decades, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians. The 2006 war was another brutal chapter, with "Israel's" bombing of civilian infrastructure, homes, and villages causing widespread destruction and loss of life. Even after these formal occupations, "Israel" has continued to carry out military assaults and violations of Lebanese airspace, keeping the region in a constant state of tension.

At every stage of this colonial project, the Zionist entity has been supported by the Western powers, especially the United States and Europe. The US has provided billions of dollars in military aid, advanced weaponry, and unconditional political support. Most European countries have consistently supported "Israel's" actions under the guise of "self-defense".

In light of this historical continuity, it is clear that the Zionist project is not in a "defensive" mode, but is a long-standing colonial power supported by imperial powers for geopolitical interests.

Germany: Guilt, strategy and silencing criticism

Germany's support for "Israel" is rooted in a complex mix of historical guilt, strategic alliances, and geopolitical interests. Since the end of the Second World War, the German state has framed its relationship with the Zionist entity through the lens of responsibility for the Holocaust, an atrocity for which Germany bears undeniable and profound guilt. While this historical context is at least understandable, it has been weaponized to justify and shield "Israel's" violent colonial policies in the region from criticism, with the German government pledging unconditional support for "Israel's" "right to exist" and its "self-defense" against any perceived threat.

Beyond "historical guilt", Germany's support for "Israel" is also rooted in strategic considerations. "Israel" serves as a key ally for the Western powers in the Middle East, a region of immense geopolitical importance. Germany, as part of the wider Western alliance, benefits from maintaining strong ties with "Israel", which plays a pivotal role in securing Western economic and political interests in the region, from controlling natural resources to countering regional adversaries such as the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Germany's material support for "Israel" is extensive and wide-ranging. One of the most visible forms of this support is the arms trade. Germany has supplied "Israel" with advanced weapons systems, including submarines capable of launching nuclear missiles, which enhance "Israel's" military dominance in the region. These arms deals, often partly financed by German taxpayers, are presented as contributing to "Israel's" "security", but in reality, they fuel "Israel's" ability to continue its occupation and aggression against its neighbours. In addition, Germany provides diplomatic protection to the Zionist entity in international bodies such as the United Nations, where it consistently votes against resolutions that seek to hold "Israel" accountable for violations of international law. This diplomatic shield, undermined by US support in the UN Security Council, allows "Israel" to act with almost total impunity, knowing that it will face no meaningful consequences from the international community.

Within Germany itself, any criticism of Israeli policies is regularly met with accusations of anti-Semitism, effectively silencing any criticism of Israeli violence and colonialism. This conflation of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism is a deliberate political tactic used to stifle dissent and suppress the growing Palestine solidarity movement. The equation of all criticism of "Israel" with anti-Jewish hatred is, ironically, itself anti-Semitic and denies the Palestinian people their right to resist occupation and apartheid. The result is a climate of fear and censorship in which activists, academics, and even politicians who speak out against Israeli aggression are demonized and marginalized.

This dynamic has had a chilling effect on the Palestine solidarity movement in Germany. Groups campaigning for Palestinian rights, including supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, have been banned from public spaces, events have been cancelled and individuals have lost their jobs for expressing solidarity with Palestine. Repression has reached such a level that even discussing Palestinian liberation is considered taboo in many public forums.

The anti-imperialist movement and the global struggle against imperialism

Zionist aggression is part of a wider framework of imperialist domination that has long exploited the Middle East for geopolitical and economic gain. As the imperialist centre, Germany and other Western countries have a direct role in perpetuating this violence. The anti-imperialist movement within these nations therefore has a pressing responsibility to speak out and act against these injustices, not only as a matter of solidarity with the oppressed, but as part of the wider struggle against global imperialism. Silence in the face of such brutality is complicity, and the time has come to escalate the resistance.

The Palestinian and Lebanese people are enduring colonial violence that echoes the struggles of other oppressed groups throughout history. The Zionist project in Palestine, backed by Western imperial powers, mirrors earlier forms of settler colonialism and racial domination, from apartheid South Africa to the colonization of Algeria. In each of these cases, the Western powers profited from the exploitation and subjugation of the colonized, just as they are doing now by supporting "Israel's" expansionist policies. For those of us in the imperialist centre, solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon is a crucial part of dismantling the system of imperialism that oppress people worldwide.

The necessity of global solidarity becomes clear when we examine the intersections between imperialist domination in the Middle East and other global struggles for justice. The same economic, military and political forces that maintain "Israel's" occupation of Palestine are deeply involved in the exploitation of other regions, from the plundering of resources in Africa to wars in Latin America and the Global South. The weapons sold to "Israel" to bomb Gaza are often the same as those used by NATO allies to suppress other liberation movements around the world. The police equipment and tactics that "Israel" is testing on Palestinians are also being used in Western countries to repress protests. Thus, the struggle against Zionism is inseparable from the struggle against all forms of oppression.

This is why it is also important to draw lessons from past internationalist struggles. During the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, global solidarity was key to ending the regime of racial segregation. Protests, boycotts and divestments, particularly in the imperialist centers of Europe and North America, created the necessary pressure to delegitimize the apartheid government and force the hand of the global powers that supported it. Similarly, anti-colonial movements throughout the 20th century succeeded in large part because of the transnational solidarity that united liberation struggles from Algeria to Vietnam. These movements demonstrated the power of an organized, coordinated and principled anti-imperialist stance at the heart of the imperialist powers. Today, the struggle against the Zionist apartheid state demands the same level of internationalist solidarity and commitment.

However, when we assess the current state of anti-imperialist protests in Germany and other Western countries, it becomes clear that we are falling short of what this moment demands. While there have been important protests and acts of solidarity, these efforts have often been fragmented, reactive and limited in scope. To truly challenge imperialism and Zionist aggression, we need to move beyond symbolic acts of protest and escalate our efforts through more coordinated and impactful forms of direct action. This requires a strategic shift towards a broader and more direct form of resistance.

Street demonstrations must be complemented by more disruptive forms of protest that challenge the status quo and the West's complicity. Boycotts, such as those advocated by the BDS movement, should be promoted more aggressively, targeting companies and institutions that profit from the occupation and arms sales to "Israel". These same corporations and institutions should also be confronted directly, as often as possible. Palestine Action in the UK has shown: Support for "Israel" will only end when it's no longer financially profitable. Worker strikes can be a powerful tool, especially in industries linked to the military industrial complex or those involved in facilitating the arms trade to "Israel". For example, port workers in Europe have in the past refused to unload arms shipments destined for "Israel" — actions like this need to be expanded and replicated, if necessary, even without the support of the trade unions.

At the same time, it is important to connect different movements. The struggle for Palestinian liberation should be understood as a common cause with the struggles against militarism, environmental destruction and fascism. Solidarity with Palestine should be a core principle of any anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist or progressive movement operating within the imperialist centre. Only by uniting these struggles can we build the kind of mass movement capable of challenging the deeply rooted forces of imperialism and colonialism. Political forces that don't have a clear position on this issue — or worse, are pro-Zionist — cannot be worked with in any way.

Lastly, this moment calls for a level of political education that challenges mainstream narratives and exposes the links between Zionism and global imperialism. Activists must work to create spaces for discussion and debate, especially in countries like Germany, where criticism of "Israel" is often suppressed. By confronting false narratives, we can foster a more informed, courageous and principled movement that can withstand the pressures of state repression and media manipulation.

Solidarity is not a passive stance; it is an active, ongoing commitment to fight for justice, and the time to act is now.