The previous evening the Israeli government had announced that they were to vote on a ceasefire to start on Sunday, and then stepped up their aerial assault on Gaza! As we have seen, although we are opposed to Hamas’ terrorist tactics, Israel is engaging in a disproportionate response which is nothing other than state-sponsored terrorism against the Palestinians.

What was notable from the demo was the wide mixture of people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds with young women in the hijab leading many of the chants, reflecting the outrage that people in Britain and across the world are feeling towards the plight of the Gazans.

A meeting the previous week in Cambridge held by the Stop the War coalition and Palestinian Solidarity Campaign had attracted 100 people on a freezing cold night in mid-week.

As well as speakers from the above campaigns there were also representatives of Jews for Justice in Palestine and the Quakers. The most interesting speaker was a young Gazan student who described the horrors of life under Israeli occupation.

As socialists we fight stand shoulder to shoulder with those who oppose war and support all the efforts made to campaign for an end to the oppression of the Palestinians. We support the calls to write letters, lobby MPs, to demonstrate and raise the issue in our schools, colleges and trade unions. We share the outrage felt by working and middle class people .

However, as Socialist Appeal supporters pointed out in the discussion, this is not just a moral issue. We must also understand the reasons for war and oppression. It is the system itself- capitalism- that needs to be changed if the Palestinians are to be free from oppression. And that means that the Israeli working class must also struggle for their own freedom - as Marx said a nation can never be free is it oppresses another nation.

We must appeal to workers to organise both within Israel and beyond. Trade unionists must refuse to move military hardware, supplies and other equipment contributing to the Israeli war machine. This is a demand we must raise at demonstrations, at meetings and in discussion with workers and youth.

This will be all the more important as the current ceasefire begins. As with the previous cessation of hostilities, it is likely that Israel will use the lull to regroup and refresh its military arsenal for its next offensive.  Hamas will probably try to do likewise.

• Israel must end the blockade of Gaza
• Hamas must end the terrorist attacks on Sderot
• Instead the Palestinian masses should be armed in self-defence
• The Israeli labour movement should mobilise to support the people of Gaza
• For a socialist federation of the Middle East