Long live the Iraqi, Lebanese and Palestinian revolutions! Drive the imperialists out of the Middle East!

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IRAQI government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi told the official Iraqi News Agency on Saturday that the authorities are going to issue arrest warrants for a number of high-ranking officials and refer them to the judiciary for trial on charges of corruption.

This is after the killing of over 400 workers and youth by security forces failed to stop the revolution, the revolutionaries and hundreds of thousands of workers and youth from taking to the streets to demand jobs, homes, and a decent life in the oil-rich state.

These revolutionary forces are demanding a government that serves the workers and uses the country’s massive oil wealth to benefit the people. The Iraqi workers and youth are the heroes of the revolution that is rapidly emerging.

After Iraq reclaimed Kuwait in 1990, Iraqis were subjected to massive sanctions by the US-UK. These sanctions deliberately targeted children and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands who were denied the embargoed medicines.

Then came the 2003 Bush and Blair-led invasion, based on lies that Iraq had wmds, and over a hundred thousand Iraqis died as the US-UK oil thieves occupied the country.

Now the masses have risen up and 400 deaths at the hands of counter-revolutionary forces have only made them more determined to have a workers government in Iraq.

In fact, spokesman Al Hadithi has announced that a special central court will deal with major corruption cases. Hadithi added that the court has ordered investigative bodies be set up nationwide to summon corrupt officials, issue arrest warrants and seize the assets of anyone found guilty of corruption.

The Iraqi prime minister has now announced his intention to resign following the call by Ayatollah Sistani for all corrupt officials to be forced out. On Friday, the Grand Ayatollah instructed lawmakers to reconsider their support for the government.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese masses, after seven weeks of street demonstrations, are targeting the central bank, officially known as Banque du Liban, in the Hamra neighbourhood of the capital Beirut.

They have accused the bank and all the capitalist financial institutions of being behind the economic crisis that has turned the Lebanon into one of the most heavily indebted states in the world. The protesters are demanding the central bank cancel the public debt.

Last Thursday, Lebanon paid off a Eurobond of $1.5 billion that was due to mature. The next bond payment is scheduled for March, when a $1.2 billion Eurobond comes due. A top Hezbollah official has warned that wasting more time for Lebanon will be extremely dangerous and that the masses of workers and youth will not allow it.

The protests began on October 17, when the government proposed imposing a tax on WhatsApp calls, along with other austerity measures. Unemployment stands at more than 20 per cent, according to official figures.

The Lebanese Finance Ministry says the national debt is hovering around $85 billion, which accounts for more than 150 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Meanwhile in Palestine, the masses are on the march, with their leaders reflecting the determination of the masses to break with the US if Israel illegally annexes the West Bank, and to align Palestine with all of the revolutionary forces in the Middle East.

In Israel itself, the Netanyahu regime is no more, while the opposition is unable to form a government. In a fiery speech last month, Netanyahu slammed Gantz, his main challenger in the two elections this year, for allegedly negotiating with ‘dangerous’ Arab MPs, whom he claimed were supporting the Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.

Netanyahu said a coalition between Gantz and the Arab party ‘would be a national historic terror attack’ against ‘Israel and must not happen.’

After this Saturday event, Arab MP Tibi said Netanyahu’s language towards Arab lawmakers could lead to their murder.

The truth is that the workers of the UK, the US and the EU must support the revolutionary Arab masses and tell their governments to stop supporting Israel and to withdraw all their forces from the Middle East.