As this issue of The Progressive goes to press, Israel’s war in Gaza begins another grim chapter with the advancement of a ground invasion begun in late October by Israeli troops, who are now pushing deeper into Palestinian territory. After weeks of barbaric bombing by Israeli forces of heavily populated neighborhoods in Gaza that has left more than 11,000 Palestinians dead—including entire families—and tens of thousands more injured, Israeli troops surrounded Gaza’s main hospital, Al-Shifa, in Gaza City, which is now on the verge of collapsing. Power outages have rendered needed medical equipment useless, and patients are dying as already stressed and exhausted health care workers battle to keep as many people alive as they can, with almost nothing but their bare hands.
Hospital staff must also now evacuate the sick and the wounded—including dozens of premature babies whose incubators no longer work—in the middle of an urban war zone, where snipers reportedly have already fired on people attempting to flee. Four other hospitals in Gaza City have also been evacuated, The New York Times reported.
In an absurd exchange, an Israeli military spokesperson claimed that staff at Al-Shifa had requested assistance from the Israeli military in moving babies to another hospital. The hospital director called that statement a lie.
Meanwhile, the fate of some 240 Israeli hostages, captured during the brutal October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, in which an estimated 1,200 Israelis were killed, mostly civilians, remains bleak. The Guardian reported that early in the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had rejected a proposal for a five-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of some hostages, which, if true, is more affirmation that the goal is total devastation that will “flatten the ground” of northern Gaza. Securing the safe return of the hostages, Netanyahu, admitted, is only “one of the missions” of the war.
This is madness. As moral human beings, we must continue to loudly demand an immediate ceasefire, which even Saudi Arabia and Iran, two historically antagonistic nations, have publicly called for. While the Biden Administration has so far refused to call for a ceasefire, on November 9, the President posted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that demonstrates that widespread protests in the United States, and around the world, against the Israeli bombing campaign have had at least some effect on how this country responds to the humanitarian crisis. In announcing that Israel had agreed to daily four-hour pauses and the opening of two humanitarian corridors, Biden said the measures “are a step in the right direction.” He added, “You have my word: I will continue to advocate for civilian safety and focus on increasing aid to alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza.” While it’s not enough, the statement should at least motivate us to keep up the pressure.
This is madness. As moral human beings, we must continue to loudly demand an immediate ceasefire.
In this issue, Norman Stockwell, citing words from the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., explains why we must double down on our efforts to push for nonviolence as the only solution, because “more weapons and other military equipment to fuel a violent conflict based on revenge will not bring back any of the victims . . . . It will only ‘increase hate’ and ‘multiply violence.’ ”
Jennifer Loewenstein explains some of the historical context behind why no one should’ve been surprised that the Gaza Strip “would one day erupt like a volcano”: It’s because “human beings can be treated like refuse for only so long.” Award-winning Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha shares one of three poems published by The Progressive, which he wrote from the Jabalia refugee camp, where he and his family have barely escaped death several times in the past few weeks.
Also in this issue, Jeanne Chilton Devon offers thoughts on how we as a species might survive the “terrible self-inflicted wound” of climate change. Nancy MacLean and Arn Pearson report on the ongoing attempts by members of the far right to overthrow democracy in the United States with the first Constitutional convention since 1787. Sarah Jaffe and Hamilton Nolan weigh in on the labor movement’s recent big wins, as well as a path forward for organized labor to dig itself out of the “deep, dark hole” it’s been in for decades.
Marcus Reeves celebrates a historical moment for the urban dance style breaking, which will be featured at the Summer Olympics in Paris, France, next year. And as we do each year, the staff and collaborators of The Progressive offer their picks for this year’s best books.
It’s a lot to process. But we are committed to providing information and analysis to help make sense of the mind-boggling realities around us in such a seemingly senseless world.