Gaza is caught in the grip of a silent savagery — an indescribable brutality, a naked barbarism that neither the pen can fully depict nor words convey the depth of its catastrophe. This barbarism has torn through the deceptive cloak of capitalism, exposing the true face of a system built on war, genocide, destruction, and brutality.

Israel, employing a scorched-earth policy, appears intent on the total destruction of this besieged strip, seeking to erase it from the map. Gaza — this open-air prison — has now been turned into a pitiless killing field, a terrifying scene of genocide. Relentless carpet bombing has claimed the lives of over 52,000 people so far, the vast majority of them women and children. Essential infrastructure — including hospitals, schools, water and electricity networks, and roads — has been systematically destroyed.  Nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s population has been displaced: a condemned people, struggling to survive amid severe shortages of food, fuel, water, and medicine. What is unfolding in Gaza today is not a sudden humanitarian catastrophe, but a stark manifestation of the savagery of the capitalist system — a system that brazenly exposes its most barbaric crimes to the world.

Elad Barashi, a presenter on Israel’s Channel 14 and a close associate of Benjamin Netanyahu, publicly called for the genocide of Gaza’s residents on 27 February 2025 via the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). He explicitly advocated the use of Nazi methods. In a post that was later deleted following a wave of public outrage, he openly referred to carrying out “another Holocaust.”

But is genocide — or a Holocaust — simply the result of deranged leaders losing control? We contend that such organised atrocities are not the acts of isolated individuals or mere historical anomalies, but the logical and inevitable product of capitalism in its stage of decline. From a dialectical standpoint, these crimes cannot be reduced merely to the actions of criminal individuals or ruthless dictators. What is unfolding before us is a stark manifestation of the structural barbarism inherent in late capitalism — a system that, in its period of decay, bares its true face without concealment.

But is genocide or a Holocaust merely the result of deranged leaders losing control? We maintain that such organised atrocities are neither isolated crimes nor historical anomalies, but rather the logical and inevitable outcome of capitalism in its stage of decline. From a dialectical perspective, these atrocities cannot simply be reduced to the actions of individual criminals or ruthless dictators. What is unfolding is a stark manifestation of the structural barbarism inherent in late capitalism, which, in its period of decline, lays bare its true nature without disguise.

Before we proceed, let us consider how Elad Barashi embodies the organised brutality of capitalism through his demands, desires, and objectives. In part of his post, he wrote:

“The 2.6 million terrorists in Gaza deserve death!! They deserve death!! They deserve death! Men, women, and children—by any means necessary, we must simply carry out a Holocaust against them—yes, read that again Holocaust! In my view—gas chambers. Train cars. And other cruel methods of death for these Nazis…Let there be a Holocaust in Gaza.”[1]

In the wake of the immense genocide during the Second World War, comrades of the International Communist Party (ICP), in an article titled “Auschwitz or the Great Alibi,” identified the capitalist system as the primary architect of this genocide. More precisely, they emphasised that the Nazi regime alone was not solely responsible for these atrocities; Western democracies were also complicit in the crime.

Following the publication of the ICP’s article, anti-fascists rallied to defend bourgeois democracy, making baseless and frivolous accusations against the ICP. However, the comrades responded with clear, well-reasoned, and profound arguments, demonstrating that the anti-fascists’ attacks were, in fact, a direct assault on Marxism and proletarian internationalism, while simultaneously serving as an overt defence of bourgeois democracy.

The comrades emphasised that fascism and democracy are two faces of the same system — the barbaric system of capitalism. In other words, capitalism, depending on its needs and crises, may manifest at times as liberal democracy and at other times in the guise of fascism. The issue is not the political superstructure of the state, but its class character.

We share the comrades’ position and believe that the arguments and experiences outlined in that article can equally be applied to the genocide in Gaza. More precisely, responsibility for this crime does not lie with Israel alone; rather, all states and global powers — whether directly or indirectly — are complicit in this atrocity.

The genocide in Gaza is the outcome of the organised barbarism of global capitalism — a brutality that can only unfold under specific social and historical conditions. In the age of imperialism, capitalism has developed the tools, technologies, and structures that make such systematic slaughter possible, even in a narrow strip of land like Gaza. This genocide cannot be reduced to the actions of a single government or military force; rather, it must be understood within the framework of the global capitalist order — a system which, in its period of decline, increasingly reveals its ruthless and chaotic nature.

In full view of the international community, and in tandem with relentless carpet bombings, Israel is employing famine and starvation as key instruments of genocide. This deliberate deprivation is not an unintended consequence of war, but rather “the outcome of a calculated and intentional policy” aimed at the gradual eradication of Gaza’s population.

Alongside large-scale airstrikes that have destroyed infrastructure, homes, schools, and even hospitals, the Israeli regime is waging a form of genocide through famine — systematically denying the population access to food, water, medicine, and other basic necessities. This strategy lays bare the calculated and merciless nature of the crime. Not only does this deadly policy expose the true face of the so-called “only democracy in the Middle East,” but it also tears the mask from the supposedly humanitarian posture of global powers — states that, through their silence and complicity, have become accomplices in this historic atrocity.

In full view of the international community, and in tandem with relentless carpet bombings, Israel is employing famine and starvation as key instruments of genocide. This deliberate deprivation is not an unintended consequence of war, but rather “the product of a deliberate and conscious Israeli policy”[2] aimed at the gradual eradication of Gaza’s population.

Alongside large-scale airstrikes that have destroyed infrastructure, homes, schools, and even hospitals, the Israeli regime is waging a form of genocide through famine — systematically denying the population access to food, water, medicine, and other basic necessities. This strategy lays bare the calculated and merciless nature of the crime. Not only does this deadly policy expose the true face of the so-called “only democracy in the Middle East,” but it also tears the mask from the supposedly humanitarian posture of global powers — states that, through their silence and complicity, have become accomplices in this historic atrocity.

All Western democracies, under the guise of the “right to self-defence,” are complicit in Israel’s genocide against the people of Gaza — from Britain to Canada, from Germany to Italy. It is sometimes suggested that Israel and Netanyahu have slipped beyond the control of these Western democratic governments, and that they are powerless to restrain him. However, this perception cannot be regarded as a serious or analytical viewpoint. What is truly happening is the collapse of the capitalist order and its descent into unprecedented and escalating chaos. This trend is evident not only in the actions of Netanyahu or Trump but also in various parts of the world. More precisely, what has slipped beyond control is not an individual or a government, but the capitalist system itself.

Professor Ben Saul, the Special Rapporteur of the Nest of Thieves (the United Nations) on human rights issues, stated in December 2024 that the United States supplies approximately 69% and Germany nearly 30% of the weapons and ammunition used by Israel. He warned that these countries could face legal action for violating their international obligations regarding human rights and humanitarian law[3]. However, we will for now set aside the special rapporteur of the Den of Thieves report’s deception concerning human rights, as well as the delusion-mongering about the likelihood of legal prosecution against the US or Germany.

In other words, the genocide could be effectively halted by ceasing the supply of weapons from just these two countries. If the United States and Germany were to cut off military support, the genocide could be stopped within a matter of hours. At a press conference in Geneva, Professor Ben Saul commented on the possibility of ending the war as follows:

“Germany and the United States supply 99% of the weapons exported to Israel. They could stop this conflict overnight if they stopped the weapons that kill the Palestinians.”[4]

In stark contrast to the duplicitous demagoguery of liberal bourgeois ideologues—who deliver grandiose speeches about ‘civilisation’, ‘pacifism’, and ‘democracy’—the raw barbarity of capitalism is so shocking and disgraceful that even human rights institutions aligned with this very order have been compelled to respond. Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, referring to the events unfolding in Gaza, described them as ‘will remain stain on our collective conscience’ and explained further:

“The international community’s seismic, shameful failure for over a year to press Israel to end its atrocities in Gaza, by first delaying calls for a ceasefire and then continuing arms transfers, is and will remain a stain on our collective conscience. Governments must stop pretending they are powerless to end this genocide, which was enabled by decades of impunity for Israel’s violations of international law. …States that continue to transfer arms to Israel at this time must know they are violating their obligation to prevent genocide and are at risk of becoming complicit in genocide.”[5]

The democratic Western countries — particularly the United States and Germany — play a crucial role in sustaining Israel’s economy and preventing its collapse through extensive financial, military, and technological support. Without a functioning and active economy, a genocide on the scale we are witnessing today would not have been possible. The United States has provided approximately $300 billion in aid to Israel to date and, under a ten-year agreement, has committed to an additional $38 billion. This assistance includes the supply of weapons, advanced technological support, and political backing in international institutions. European countries have also contributed to bolstering Israel’s war-driven economy through arms exports, the transfer of advanced technologies, and continued trade relations. As a result, this support has facilitated the implementation of systematic violence and genocide.

France, often hailed as the cradle of bourgeois civilisation, has not only played a role in past atrocities such as the Rwandan genocide, but today has become one of Israel’s unconditional supporters under the pretext of its “right to self-defence”. In other words, France is complicit in the genocide in Gaza. France even supported Resolution 2712 in the Security Council of the Den of Thieves (the United Nations) — a resolution that, instead of calling for an end to the organised slaughter, focused on restricting humanitarian aid to Gaza[6]. This position is not merely a sign of complicity; it stands as evidence of direct responsibility for a crime unfolding in full view of the international community.

Western governments are attempting to establish an alternative trade route to China’s “Silk Road” in line with their imperialist interests—aimed at weakening China’s position while simultaneously supporting Israel. This alternative, known as the “India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor,” begins in India and connects to the United Arab Emirates via a maritime route. It then continues by rail through Saudi Arabia and Jordan, reaching the port of Haifa in Israel. Finally, it links Haifa to European ports such as those in Greece and Italy. This project not only strengthens Israel’s geopolitical position but also forms part of the West’s strategic competition to contain China’s economic influence.

Although India has become one of the main sources of labour for Israel in recent years, this trend has gained particular significance following the reduction in Palestinian workers entering Israel due to the war in the Middle East. With the ban on Palestinian workers entering Israel, around 16,000 Indian workers have been sent to the country to replace Palestinian labour in the construction sector.[7] Plans are also underway to send thousands more Indian workers to address the labour shortage in key sectors of Israel’s economy.[8]

On the other hand, although Russia remains India’s primary supplier of weaponry, India’s share of Russian arms imports has declined over the past two decades—from 73.3% in 2000 to 51% in 2020. Conversely, Israel’s share has increased during this period, with India now becoming the largest purchaser of Israeli military equipment, accounting for approximately 42% of Israel’s arms exports.[9]

Given China’s growing influence and the intensifying trade war between the United States and China, Israel is keen to increase the share of Japanese investment in its economy, particularly in the technology sector. In line with this, Japan’s share of investment in Israel’s technology industry — which accounted for only 1.8 per cent of total foreign investment in 2016 — had risen to 15.8 per cent by 2021 and continues to grow.[10] This trend has not only strengthened Israel’s economy but has also enhanced its capacity to pursue its military and imperial ambitions.

In recent years, Arab countries have strengthened their relations with Israel across military, security, trade, and economic domains. For example, Morocco is in the process of establishing a factory to produce military drones in cooperation with Israeli companies. The United Arab Emirates has also initiated joint investments in areas such as technology, energy, healthcare, and tourism. In recent years, Bahrain has served as a significant financial hub for Israeli companies. Jordan is regarded as a key partner for Israel in water resource management and security cooperation. These collaborations — in addition to those in energy, transport, and agriculture — have led to the expansion of relations in other sectors as well. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has invested in several Israeli start-ups. Arab countries have also been working to strengthen trade routes, provide labour, and invest in joint projects with Israel — steps seen as part of the broader normalisation of economic relations between Arab states and Israel.[11]

Following attacks by Yemen’s Ansarullah forces (the Houthis) on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, the port of Eilat has experienced an 85 per cent decline in activity and has effectively come to a standstill. As a result, overland routes through Saudi Arabia and Jordan have been used to import goods into Israel.[12] These routes have played a crucial role in meeting Israel’s needs and have prevented the country from facing a situation resembling a complete blockade — particularly given the closure of the southern port by the Houthis and the insecurity of northern ports during periods of Hezbollah activity.

Although China has, in its rhetoric, called for an end to conflicts in the Middle East and, due to its rivalry with the United States, has criticised certain American policies, in practice it has sought to use the Palestinian issue as a tool to advance its own imperial interests. Nevertheless, it has maintained extensive and close economic relations with Israel — ties that have played a key role in sustaining the Israeli economy. In other words, China has also been complicit in creating the economic and political conditions that have enabled the continuation of the genocide in Gaza. The table[13] below shows the volume of China’s exports to Israel, Israel’s exports to China, and the total trade volume, expressed in billions of US dollars.

Year	China’s Exports to Israel	Israel’s Exports to China	Total Trade Volume
2018	9.27	4.79	14.06
2019	9.61	4.70	14.31
2020	11.30	4.24	15.54
2021	15.10	4.40	19.50
2022	16.50	4.63	21.13
2023	15.00	4.23	19.23

Statistics show that Israel’s exports to China have remained relatively unchanged over recent years, while Israel’s imports from China have steadily increased. Data for 2024 has not yet been released, and the decline in trade in 2023 was likely influenced by developments and conflicts in the Middle East. Overall, China is one of the largest suppliers of Israel’s essential goods. The main items exported from China to Israel include automobiles, telecommunications equipment, computers and electronics, industrial machinery, chemicals, plastics, and textiles. The high volume of bilateral trade has made China one of Israel’s key trading partners. However, does this very efficient economy, which China has helped to shape and support, not also empower the Israeli government to carry out its crimes and genocide?

Azerbaijan supplies approximately 65 per cent of Israel’s imported oil.[14] This oil is extracted from the Caspian Sea oil fields and transported via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, passing through Georgian territory to the port of Ceyhan on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. From there, the oil is carried via the maritime route by tankers to Israeli ports, particularly the port of Ashkelon.

This transportation route plays a vital role in supplying Israel’s energy needs. Once refined, the imported oil is converted into products including jet fuel, which is also used in military operations. Overall, Azerbaijan, in collaboration with Turkey, plays a key role in providing Israel’s energy — a role that continues unabated even amidst war, bombing, and genocide.

If Azerbaijan had not supplied oil, and if Turkey had not opened the transit route, perhaps the jets now tearing through Gaza’s skies would not have had the fuel to fly. Perhaps the sound of explosions would not have echoed through the night; perhaps another child would not have been buried beneath the rubble. The deadly warplanes that, in the blink of an eye, reduce homes, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure to ashes are fuelled by supplies provided by other capitalist states. These aircraft, which strike terror into the hearts of Gaza’s damned, soar through the skies on oil made available by the profits of other brutal capitalist governments. With every roar in the sky, lives are extinguished on the ground. Women, children, and families are torn apart, lying silently in pools of blood. The only thing that rises without pause is the number of bodies. Is the provision of energy by these savage capitalist states not one of the main factors fuelling the ongoing fire of war and destruction in Gaza?

The war in the Middle East has, to some extent, worked to Russia’s advantage, as for Western democracies, support for Israel has taken precedence over support for Ukraine, leading to a relative reduction in backing for the latter. During Iran’s missile attack on Israel in April 2024, it was the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and other countries that moved to intercept the missiles — even before Israel itself responded. Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on Western nations to provide Ukraine with the same level of defensive support that is extended to Israel. He specifically praised the West’s swift and coordinated response in defence of Israel, while expressing dissatisfaction with the absence of such support for his own country.[15] In other words, the genocide in Gaza — the war in the Middle East — has indirectly strengthened Russia’s position: a reinforcement driven forward, like fuel, by the blood of Gaza’s dead.

Some might argue that, in a context where even Arab states failed to take meaningful action to prevent the genocide in Gaza, it was Iran — along with its proxy forces from Lebanon to Yemen, and from Iraq to Syria — that, within its capacity, stood against Israel’s crimes and, by extension, against the genocide. Some have gone even further, portraying Iran as an anti-imperialist power[16]. Such a claim is, at best, naïve and bears no relation to a Marxist analysis of the state and imperialism. Such a claim is, at best, naïve and bears no relation to a Marxist analysis of the state and imperialism. Iran’s position, like that of other capitalist states within the global order, is not defined by opposition to US imperialism, but rather by its role within imperialist rivalries and interests.

Iran, within the framework of its imperialist interests, claims the role of a regional power and uses its proxy forces, including Palestinian groups, as instruments to advance these imperialist interests. These forces act as a form of deterrence against regional rivals and even major global powers, but in practice, they are merely “cannon fodder” serving the imperialist policies of the Islamic Republic.

Israel, with the support of Western democracies and its regional allies, including some Arab countries and Turkey, has dealt heavy blows to Iran’s proxy forces, severely weakening them. Syria has effectively joined the opposing camp, and the United States is exerting significant pressure on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah. In line with this, the Lebanese government, under US pressure, is gradually removing Hezbollah from sensitive positions, including airports. At the same time, Western powers have imposed severe economic pressures on Iran, accelerating the deterioration of its economy. Under these circumstances, Iran’s proxy forces have effectively become incapable of carrying out effective operations, and the Islamic Republic itself has so far failed to mount a serious response to the latest Israeli attacks.[17]

The responsibility for the genocide in Gaza does not lie solely with the Israeli state. Reducing this genocide to Zionist ideology or merely to the policies of the Israeli government reflects an idealist and non-Marxist perspective. What has enabled such a systematic and technologically advanced genocide is the capitalist social structure in the age of imperialism. Reducing opposition to the genocide to purely anti-Israel campaigns, in practice, amounts to absolving other capitalist states — whether democratic or dictatorial — whose direct or indirect support has been essential to the perpetration of these crimes.

In reality, such a perspective reproduces a kind of “anti-fascist movement” which, although it adopts anti-war and anti-genocide language and slogans, remains confined within the framework of the capitalist system — and in practice, serves to uphold the interests of the ruling class and sustain the capitalist order.

Unfortunately, the war in the Middle East and the genocide in Gaza have had a far more damaging impact on the working class — not only in the Middle East, but across the world — than many other wars. In protests against the genocide in Gaza, the focus of criticism is often directed solely at the Israeli government and at Netanyahu personally, rather than at all the imperialist states whose direct or indirect support has made such genocide and crimes possible.

The genocide in Gaza has poisoned the terrain of struggle with nationalist propaganda and bourgeois pacifism, distancing the working class from an understanding of the true roots of this crime. It is a dangerous illusion to believe that the very states responsible for fuelling war can be called upon to end war and genocide. Any peace brokered within the frameworks of capitalism and by warmongering states is nothing more than a temporary pause in the cycle of warfare. In reality, it is from within such capitalist “peace” that the flames of new wars inevitably emerge.

The war in the Middle East and the genocide in Gaza are not isolated events confined to a corner of the globe, but rather reflections of the organised brutality that capitalism has exhibited in its era of decline. These crimes have not been committed by a single state or specific actor, but with the support and complicity of all capitalist states. In this age of imperialism, modern instruments — from reconnaissance satellites and artificial intelligence to the most advanced weaponry and fighter jets — have been deployed in the service of expanding this systematic slaughter. In its epoch of decline, capitalism, relying on technology and military might, reveals its true face through destruction, genocide, and endless war.

Capitalism has ushered humanity into an era of perpetual imperialist wars. Since this system launched its imperialist slaughter with the First World War in 1914, its death machine has never stopped. History has shown that the only force capable of halting this killing machine is the working class. It was the threat of revolution in Germany that forced the bourgeoisie to accept an armistice. This truth remains as valid today as it was then: war criminals only retreat when confronted with the threat of proletarian revolution — a pause they use to prepare themselves for the next class war against the proletariat.

Only the class struggle of the working class can offer a genuine alternative to the barbarism of capitalism, war, genocide, and its other forms of savagery. Since the proletariat has no country to defend, its struggle transcends national borders and spreads internationally. Although the proletariat’s fight initially arises to defend its standard of living, in the course of this struggle it inevitably challenges imperialist policies.

Although the global working class is not yet in a position to bear this historic responsibility, the development of class struggle can open up this horizon before it. Only through the overthrow of capitalism on a global scale will the working class be able to eliminate the material roots of capitalism’s barbarism — manifested in war, genocide, and imperialist tensions — and bring lasting peace to humanity.

Death to Imperialist War and Genocide!

Long Live the War Between the Classes!

Internationalist Voice

18 May 2025

 

Notes:

[1] An excerpt from a post by Elad Barashi, a presenter on Israel’s Channel 14, published on the social media platform X on 27 February 2025. Although the post has since been deleted, a screenshot in the original language (Hebrew) is available in the appendix.

^{[2] B’Tselem}

B’Tselem is an Israeli human rights organisation that has been documenting violations of Palestinian rights in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem since 1989. Through detailed reports, videos, and testimonies, the organisation exposes Israeli abuses such as land confiscation, the killing of civilians, and restrictions on movement. In 2021, B’Tselem officially designated Israel as an apartheid regime and remains one of the few critical voices from within Israel.

[3] Anadolu Ajansi

[4] Independent Global News

[5] Amnesty International.

[6] France has become a silent accomplice in genocide.

[7] The Times of Israel.

[8] India Today.

[9] Middle East Eye.

[10] The Times Of Israel.

[11] Forbes.

[12] The Times Of Israel.

[13] The table has been compiled using export statistics for China to Israel and Israel to China from the Trade Economy website.

[14] CNN.

[15] The Wall Street Journal.

[16] For these people, simply opposing the major Western powers is taken to mean being anti-imperialist. However, from our perspective, in the era of capitalist decline — that is, the era in which capitalism has reached the stage of imperialism — every capitalist state is itself an imperialist state.

[17] Iran claims that the execution of Operation “True Promise 3” is certain and that this time it will be far more forceful than previous operations. However, the Islamic Republic emphasises that it will determine the timing, method, and scale of the operation itself. Therefore, any delay in carrying it out does not imply cancellation or failure to deliver. Nevertheless, under the current circumstances, such promises appear to serve more as a psychological tool to maintain morale within the ruling establishment; after all, a response to a military operation cannot be indefinitely postponed into an uncertain future.

 

Attachment: Screenshot of a post by Elad Barashi, presenter on Channel 14, on the social media platform X.

 

 

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