Statement by the CC of the Workers Party Youth on 1 October, 2025
On 1 October 2025, the Sumud Freedom Flotilla was intercepted by the Israeli military.1 To many this is no surprise. This is the third time since June that the flotilla has been intercepted and the 8th time since 2010 that attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza have been disrupted by the state of Israel. Israel continues their policy of starvation and genocide, even the symbolic attempts to delivery aid to Gaza is too much of a threat to their plans of extermination. The so-called “harsh words” of international leaders, who continue to take no meaningful action in the face of genocide, has had little effect on the actions of the state of Israel.
The complicity of European and North American states has long been exposed. Not least of which was the contribution by Francesca Alabanese and exposing the significant economic and business ties between private capital and the state of Israel. The report found that Israel profits hugely from large arms sales to European states, a list of clients in which Ireland is included. The Central Bank of Ireland until recently also facilitated the sale of State of Israel bonds.2 These bonds have continued over €25 Billion in development capital to Israel and since 2023 have been a source of considerable funding for Israel’s genocidal plans.3
The response of capitalist governments continues to be nonexistent. The recognition of the state of Palestine, which was adopted by Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Australia is based on specific preconditions. The common theme among them is the refusal to recognise anything other than the Palestinian Authority as the leading body and there is no other legitimate governing body.4 Insodoing they are seeking to extend the conditions of the West Bank to Gaza, where the Palestinian Authority is already in power and continues to allow the building of Israeli settlements and the forced eviction of Palestinian. This capitalist solution is no solution at all. It continues to allow Israel to have a veto on a Palestinian state and if such a plan was adopted, would almost certainly result in settlement building in Gaza recommencing.
The Freedom Flotilla represents a real attempt to provide support to the people of Palestine. In the face of the empty words of capitalist states, they take action. The detainment of the activists onboard represents another crime by the state of Israel. International law has had no bearing on Israel’s action. The capitalists utilise international law to their benefit and those allied with Israel will not allow for their persecution. The failure of the Spanish of Italian governments to escort their citizens into the red zone represents their disregard for the safety of their citizens and their complicity in Israel’s action.
Across Europe, the working class is rising up to support those who have been taken captive by Israel and demanding their release. Tomorrow Italy will be shaken by a general strike which will see the participation of CGIL, Italy’s largest Union.5 In Greece, thousands are participating in general strike against the 13 hour workday which also includes acts of solidarity with Palestine. Actions such as the Freedom Flotilla are courageous acts, but few people have the opportunity to take part in such actions. The struggle must be brought home and to the workplace. The working class has the power to bring the system which gives birth the genocide to a halt, but only through collective and organised action. Struggling for class-oriented trade unions is the first step towards this. Today, ICTU unions are dominated by social democratic forces which obscure the contradiction between capital and labour and who support the disarming of the working class in favour of “social harmony”. The trade union movement needs a class oriented perspective which does not seek harmony with capitalists but will lead the fights against them. The system of capitalism allows for the genocidal actions of Israel to continue unabated and only the power of the whole working class can pose a challenge to it.
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/1/israel-intercepts-gaza-sumud-flotilla-vessels-what-we-know-so-far ↩︎
- https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/09/01/israel-to-market-war-bonds-through-luxembourg-as-irish-authority-expires/ ↩︎
- https://www.jewishpresstampa.com/articles/a-5-billion-act-of-faith-global-support-for-israel-bonds-surges-after-october-7/ ↩︎
- https://www.rizospastis.gr/story.do?id=13030718&textCriteriaClause=%2B%CE%97+%2B%CE%93%CE%91%CE%9B%CE%9B%CE%99%CE%91+%2B%CE%91%CE%9D%CE%91%CE%93%CE%9D%CE%A9%CE%A1%CE%99%CE%96%CE%95%CE%99+%2B%CE%A4%CE%97%CE%9D+%2B%CE%A0%CE%91%CE%9B%CE%91%CE%99%CE%A3%CE%A4%CE%99%CE%9D%CE%97 ↩︎
- https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/italy-faces-general-strike-on-friday-3-october.html ↩︎