Israeli terror in Gaza
Wet THe kind of support the
Palestinians have been receiving following the first two.
weeks of the uprisings in the occupied territories, their closest allies may soon be embarrassed to be associated with them. After all.
wenty-two Palestinians shot dead in two wooks is really nothing remarkahle, compared to the numbers killed by Israci in Lebanon six vears ago, or indeed. to the numbers of
Palestinians being killed in Israc!'s almost weekly so-called retaliation' bombing raids into south Lebanon. As for the conditions on the Gaza refuger camps, they really are to more of an 'affront to human civilisation than they have always been.
So wiience cornes this emotional tirade agaust Israel delivered by nonc other tian a British foreign office minister? What provoked the Us condemnation of Israel's handling of the rebellion, and its almost unprecedented vote against Israci in the UN over its practice on deportations?
The reason for imperialism's reactions to the stones and tyres of the Palestinians is far removed from the seroets of Gaza and the West Rank. It hes rather in the current extreme volatility of the entire middle east, where, historically the P'alestinian struggle has always acted as a major focus for anti-impcrialist sentiment:
For, despite appearances. the presence of the US and British navies patrolling the Gull waters, far from being Indicative of imperialist strength, in an indication of imperialism's extreme nervousness abour the fature of its control over the region. An Iranian victory, or even an Iranian offensive against Saudi Arabia or any ul the Gull countries is perhaps less of a worry to them than is the rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism that they see threatening the stability of the whole region.
A Palesunian aprising against Terac under present condinons could well be the spark that ignites the whole arca. Already there have been reports of student and muslim fundamentalist-led demonstrations in Egypt resulting in violent confrontations with the police. and a substantial number of arrests:
For imperialism it is very important that Egypr in particular manages to ride pur the storm even if this means making tactical concessions tis the Palestinians. Paradoxically perhaps, the right-wing anti-Iranian alliance cemented at the last Arab summit in September which included Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf scaces, could actually have further weakened the prospecte uf the Clamp David accord. The provisions for fairly substantial funds to flow into Egypt from the oil rich states will weaken America's financial hold over Mubarak which could possibly, in the future, tip the balance against Egype's separare peace with Israel, given sufficient internat pressure.
These, then, are rhe reasons why Israel finds irs immodiate interesis coming into conflict with the interests of imperialisti. For even it Isracl could quell the Palestinians by force, the price thar would be paid in terms of imperialist interests in the rest of the middle cast would not be worth while
The Palestinians have been encouraged by the divisions among their enemies, and the demonstrations are still continuing a month later. For the first time the whole Palestinian population of Track has united in a one day strike in support of their brothers and sisters in the occupied territories. They have seen Israel's threat of mass expulsions wither away to nine: individuals and they have scen these nine become the focus of January 1988 - Palestinians demonstrate against Israeli oppression world-wide attention with the Us spearheading the attack on Israel's "illegal" practice of deportations. They have seen a British foreign minister derlaring unequivocally in lavour of Palestinian sell-determination; who can now convince them that violence leads nowhere?
Tuperialium appears now 10. he pining its hopes on arhieving the international. conterence on the middle cast which Arafar has been pushing for the last few cars and which Israel has opposed, Yet again Arafar has aclueved the sratus ofthe "moderate to whom umperialism turns in times of Lrouble.
This rime, though certainly still commanding mass support among the Palestinians, he is: weaker that ever before ITis record, particularly since 1982
- his signing of the Arman agreement giving King Hussein joint right to represent the Palestinians and agreeing in principle to ditch the goal of Palertinian self-determination for instance — understandably alicnated many of his folinwers, though they themselves had no clear idea of how to achieve the aims they believed it:
The experience of thr uprsing in the occupied Territories will have given them a clearer iden. Having witnessed Arafar gain borhing Irom his trading in the aims of the Palestinian liberation struggle, they have seen their mass action achieve what the "diplomatir manocuvring" favoured by the right in the PLU never did. " The forces on the left of the PLO will have come out ol this subscantially: strengthened and imperialism may well find that the moderation of Arafat will he insufficient, with or withour an international conference, to win Palestinian acceptunce of an imperiaher backed ANNA WAGSTAFF SOLDON