Algeria: “There is great sympathy for the Palestinian question”

We interview colleague Farid Ziane, socialist activist in Algeria, about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the feelings of the Algerian people today. Despite the government's ban, a pro-Palestinian rally took place on Friday 13 an Algae, the capital.

How are the events in Gaza experienced in Algeria??

Perhaps it is useful to remember that in Algeria, and particularly in the popular sectors, there is strong sympathy for the Palestinian issue seen as a legitimate anti-colonial cause, in the same way as the legitimacy of the fight in Algeria against French colonialism. That is why Palestinian flags are always present in various demonstrations in Algeria against the government or in the stands of stadiums during football matches..

Returning to the news, Hamas offensive, for its scale and effectiveness, surprised more than one. It was also surprising because the masses observed that to the systematic alignment of imperialism with Israel's positions, that of the normalizing Arab States was added., which made several observers say that the Palestinian issue is definitively relegated to the background. And there we see that this resounding return of the Palestinian question to the foreground, overshadowing even the Ukrainian question, has strongly contradicted these pessimistic analyzes.

At the same time, Hamas offensive was greeted with enthusiasm and joy, thinking about Israel's retaliation, as usual, would cause thousands of civilian deaths and injuries as a result of the bombings. In fact, this is what we are witnessing. Netanyahu created a “war government” whose mission would be the annihilation of the Palestinian resistance. This colonial consensus within Israeli society is dangerous and puts Israeli pacifist or anti-Zionist paths in difficulty.. Hence the need to intensify international solidarity campaigns..

Are there initiatives to support the Palestinians?

Palestine has always been a factor of politicization and mobilization in Algeria. For example, in January 2009, in a context marked by the ban on demonstrations in Algiers, ital, it was around solidarity with Palestine, then subjected to Israeli bombing, that a balance of power was created that imposed the right to demonstrate. in Algiers. Previously there were two mobilization attempts initiated by our collective at the University of Bouzareah, on the heights of Algiers, that were prevented by important security measures.

Now there is a lot of discussion about what is happening there, the betrayal of the Arab countries, the total alignment of Western powers with the Zionist narrative. The indignation is too strong and finally led to a rally, despite the authoritarian climate that reigns in Algeria. The right to demonstrate in support of Palestine is not fully achieved despite Algeria's official support for this cause and its refusal to normalize its relations with the colonial state..

What do you think is the outcome of this historic conflict??

Currently it is difficult to see the end of the tunnel as the situation has become even more complicated. The two-state solution adopted at the end of the Oslo Accords is already obsolete, The continuation of settlements in the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza have reduced the area of ​​Palestine to nothing, without territorial continuity. From this rotten situation, reactionary organizations like Hamas were born and grew., who benefited greatly from the discredit of the Palestinian Authority, who had become a collaborator of Israel. But Hamas Islamists have also disappointed in the test of power, a disappointment that can only be accentuated after the normalization of several Arab countries with which local branches of the Muslim Brotherhood such as the Justice and Development Party are associated (PJD). in Morocco. This means that the flame of resistance remains intact among the Palestinian population who turn their backs on their self-proclaimed political representatives..

But new political leadership is slow to emerge, Israeli colonialism is careful to cut off the heads of any new figure that emerges and Marwan Barghouti, main figure of the second intifada, still languishes in prison. But we always trust in the ability of the colonized to raise their heads, to invent their new instruments of struggle and combat against colonialism. The national question is legitimate, We can only support it in the hope that it is resolved under the banner of socialism and the brotherhood of peoples.. Provided that there is a political leadership on the Palestinian side that reaches out to an Israeli labor movement capable of getting rid of its colonial mentality. The road is hard but there are no shortcuts.

Interview: Pablo Vasco