EFF statement on Iran’s missile response to Israeli aggression

2 October 2024

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) unequivocally condemns Israel's continued expansion of terror and illegal occupation in the Middle East, marked by its latest attacks on Lebanon, Syria, and the targeted assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Iran's missile response to Israel's escalating aggression is a direct and justified reaction to Israel's campaign of violence and expansion, which has long destabilised the region and led to countless deaths and destruction.

For over seven decades, Israel has illegally occupied Palestine, subjecting the Palestinian people to brutal apartheid policies, ethnic cleansing, and widespread violence, all while receiving full backing from Western imperialist powers, notably the United States. This occupation is not limited to Palestine—it has expanded its reach into Lebanon and Syria, seeking to assert control over the entire region through violence, intimidation, and destruction.

Since October 7th 2023, when Hamas rightfully defended Palestinian land from Israeli aggression, Israel has escalated its attacks into what can only be described as a full-scale genocide against the Palestinian people. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, mostly women and children. The apartheid state has indiscriminately bombed Gaza and the West Bank, demolished homes, targeted hospitals, and imposed a siege that deprives civilians of food, water, and medical supplies. Israel's actions, underpinned by a racist, colonialist ideology, are aimed at wiping out the Palestinian people, an act of genocide that the world can no longer ignore.

Thanks to South Africa, which took Israel's genocidal campaign to the Intemational Court of Justice (ICJ), the international community now has legal affirmation that Israel is indeed committing genocide against the Palestinian people. This confirms what the oppressed of the world have long known—Israel is not just an occupying force but a genocidal regime that must be stopped.

In light of Israel's ongoing genocide, the EFF supports Iran's right to defend itself and the sovereignty of its people against Israeli aggression. We also stand firmly with Lebanon, Syria, and all nations that seek to resist Israel's violent expansionism. The EFF believes that every country has the right and duty to defend the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation. Israel's occupation is not just an affront to the people of Palestine—it is a violent cancer spreading across the Middle East, and it must be resisted by all progressive nations.

It is critical that the international community stops turning a blind eye to Israel's crimes and instead supports the oppressed people of Palestine and the broader Middle East in their fight for freedom. The EFF stands against the impunity that Israel is displaying, which presents the face of Western imperialism that plagues many other nations in the world which are struggling under the weight of their extreme violence.

Issued by Leigh-Ann Mathys, National Spokesperson, EFF, 2 October 2024