New triumvirate weaves deadly web for Palestinians
Hussein with Egyptian leader Mubarak. Hussein-Arafat JACK GOLDBERG and LUCY MATTHEWS explain the Latest sucession of events since the meeting of the Palestinian National Council last November. (For further background, see the article in Socialist Viewpoint No. 2.) "POSITIVELY buoyed up by the significant development within the PLO, in Mr. Peres's Israel, in Egypt and in Iraq." This thusiastic welcome by senior US officials summed elated reaction of American imperialism to the fast moving series of peace plays in the region. of the alliance consisting of President Mubarak
Palestinian and Arab masses.
that Arafat's pernicious and
(PFLP
DFLT, enup the
1on were simply put into abeyance of his devotion to the Palestinian cause' name of the the new triple
Socialist Viewpoint, No. 4, March 1985. Page 27
King Fahd gives his blessing to new line-up.
Fand of Saudi raci and the debt Kind | Prostia lorean 1970 he Pa Kindl
Fi the hurdles to enable ing enable strategists to dictate the destinies of the new Compromise and Capitulation
The
It was clear last November in Amman shadowy "quorate" procure a Council, largely PCP, PLE, PLACCAD and PSF) was not merely an organisational coup but an event of major historical importance. With a single stroke, his supporters in the PLO took advatage of the absence of any notable opposition to bring to a close a whole historical era. Many policies that have tor decades provided the cornerstone of the Palestinian Revolu-
Instead, the old right-wing guard gave a warm welcome to butcher King Hussein, who candidly assured them of the "purity Arafat. further to be endorsed by Arafat in the
Palestinian people an outrageous insult to the thousands of roops in Jordan in 1970. The PNC, while rejecting the Camp David agreement went a long way to meet the King's pro posals and sealed an emphatic alliance with the Jordanian monarch, signalling a course towards compromise and terms endorsed several months earlier by FATAH Central Committee* after a long and laborious dialogue between all the organisations of the PLO and seen by many as the first step to heal the political rigt within the PLO, were simply thrown to the wind, and Arafat was able to proceed towards the logical conclusion of the new course.
Hussein-Arafat Agreement
Egypt, unsurprisingly, was the next major partner to be brought into the alliance and the feverish shuttle quickly established is now known as the "peace overtures". I'his flurry of activity finaly culminated ir he signing on February 1l of the "Ammam Agreement" between Hussein and
" tah in the largst single organisa.
within the Yassel Arafat, who is also Chair of the PLO.
The accord calls for "total withdrawal" of Israel from the "territories since the 1967 war, and for a comprehensive peace as established in United Nations and Security Council resolutions. " It also calls for "right determination" for the Palestinian people within the context of a contederation "Arab states" of Jordan and Palestine. And tinally, the agreement sees an International Conference - comprising the main rotagonists and members ot security Council including the Union - as the sole and appropriate forum to finalise the new peace process (the PLO participating within delegation joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation] ).
The agreement in itself received a mixed response from all parties. tions of the Israeli coalition government rejected it as hogwash, Peres expressed some mild interest. The Israelis' paymasters in the US felt that it did not go far enough and at this stage did not merit their involvement. But privately it was seen as "encouraging in the sense that it shows the Arab side moving toward developing a negotiating position which is realistic
The PLO Central Committee, while cursing Hussein for having blown the whistle to soon by releasing the document which had remained secret until then, took some time to swallow the bitter pill but finally bowed under pressure from Arafat, and endorsed the Agreement. gambit was soon to be another event of surpassing importance.
Peace Overtures
President Mubarak, having obtained a written document, launched a peace initiative aimed partly at Israel predominantly to involve US imperialism. In a well-timed series of trial balloons, Mubarak floated a three-phase plan: (1) a negotiating stage involving the joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation; (2) an enlarged phase where Israel would be brought into the negotiations which will end in a peace settlement and (3) an international conference to endorse settlement.
Peres promptly reacted to this call saying "the plan deserves a positive study" and viewed it as a sign of progress towards a peace settlement.
Headline-grabbing shuttles were soon on the move again. Osama Mubarak's sidekick, flew to Peres's house in Jerusalem for more tangible discussions
- the first high-level meeting between the two countries since the Lebanon. The exact outcome of these intensive contacts is still shrouded in a whirl of confusion but it already seems that the Israelis have shown willingness to accept part. of the Mubarak Plan. points remain difficult but superable hurdle. While Mubarak is proosing three-stage negotiations beginning with lirect talks between the US and a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation, Peres is still insisting open negotiations with Jordan. As for the rest, it is simply a matter of time before the vague and otten murky formulations contained in numerous statements are clarified.
UN Resolution 242
Mubarak for his part, has already started putting flesh on his proposals. In a press conference on February 27, he went a long way to allay Israel's reticence on the joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation by claimi noticial repoesentatives of the PLO that it would not necessarily inand emphasized that they would represent the "moderates". As for the absence of an occupied of selfthe
UN
Soviet joint
While sec-
Prime Minister exchange for territories.
This diplomatic overtaken by in full stream and that has turned into a dialogue situation".
whole imbroglio is slowly
1l as an important litmus test.
but
US an‹ distance, hardly conceal an elated optimism.
the started have careful and by offering emergency
Israel on top of the
This assistance.
El-Baz, ibility trom Israel.
invasion ing a significant role in the Arab world.
The sticky would remain sle
Arafat, and within not in-
'Arab dynamics"
US are leaving to direct themselves.
and it may be sometime soon."
Even the involvement of the not perceived as a
American between
Habash and Hawatmeh: leaders of the Democratic Alliance explicit reference to UN resolution 242 in | change of views has already achieved one the Amman Agreement, Mubarak explained that the sole fact that such an accord has been reached implies categoric acep vigorously tance by Arafat of this resolution, which calls for recognition of the state of Israel in
It remains to be seen whether Mubarak is saying in public what Arafat is still concealing in flights of rhetoric. What is certain is that the play is account
"the icy situation
Heights.
The taking some shape but all parties will be looking to the visit by Mubarak to Washington on March tion of
Elated Optimism
US imperialism has kept a calculated waiting for the outcome of this diplomatic gallop. With the ball firmly in their camp, their caveats and cautions
The
The situation is rapidly moving to their advantage: firstly their efforts in bolstering Peres useful to proceed pyaing some dividends. In fact they are in the process of strengthening their political positions economic aid to
$1.2 billion regular sowing would put them in observers stronger position to demand more flex-
Secondly the emergence of Mubarak as a force for peace is also a major trump card. Not only a dependable and pliable servant, he is already emerging form his period of isolation and will soon start play-
Finally the US realise that the major tusbetween Hussein and controversies
Palestinian the organisations. For them the question of the cleared be needs to before negotiations can begin, and this the concentrated the
Arabs do to
Secretary of State Shultz has
Agreement.
already indicated their readiness for an increasingly active role "we are prepared to work in a helpful and direct way whenever we see the timing of it as appropriate...
that that would occur
Positive Dialogue
Soviet still amendemnts
Union in the International Conference is
The threat any more.
ilateral talks on February 19 in Vienn
Committee.
and
Soviet officials seem to have opened "a positive dialogue"
on the issues involved. This tentative ex-
Socialist Viewpoint, No. 4, March 1985. Page 28 tangible result: relations between the US and Syria took a turn for the better. While condemning the Amman agreement as a "US conspiracy", Syria, which a year ago was on the verge of a military confrontation with the US, warmly welcome 1 the US statement that "no peace treaty will take place without taking into
Syria's rights on the Golan "
Reagan did not waste such an opportunity and promptly telephoned President Assas to congratulate him for his reelection as Head of State. The combinathe ongoing thaw between Nashington and Damascus and the US Soviet dialogue will undoubtedly sap and disorientate any Palestinian opposition to Arafat that may take shape.
Contradictions quickly developing dipiomatic moves are not without problems. In Israel, Peres is walking a tightrope. He decided with the consultations with Egypt while Shamir, the current foreign minister, in a tour of EEC capitals, unequivocally rejected the peace proposals contusion to he point where remarked on "the two diplomacies of Israel"
It is quite possible that as a result the stress on the coalition may end up in its rupture. Peres, with US help and mirroring the prospects of a peaceful settlement with Israel's neighbours, will be in a strong position to call an election
As for the Arab side, the quick pace imposed by Mubarak seems to have crated within the PLO Central Committee itself. In a bid to avoid a political earthquake, the Central Committee without condemning the proposals its fire on refining and amending the details of the Hussein-Arafat
Two representatives, Abu Iyad and Abu Mazen, flew to Amman to negotiate two important amendements: (1) that the Palestinians would exercise their right to self-determination "after the withdrawal of the Israelis from the cupied territories" and (2) that the PLO would be part of an "Arab delegation" with equal status to other participants. It is uncertain to what extent these have been agreed and if agreed, whether they would be sufficient to quell any opposition within the Central
In fact, while the emissaries sounded confident and satisfied that all is in order, King Hussein referred to the
amendments as "minor details with bearing on the substance documents".
The rift between the Central Committee and Hussein on the precise interpretation of the accord is further complicated by a fundamental difference over the Mubarak Plan. While Mubarak propounds the International Conference as the ultimate stage in the peace Jordanians Palestinians see the conference as the only forum where the Palestinian problem may be resolved.
These last convulsions are predictable. What the US calls the "Arab dynamics" is a necessary process of claritication anc ine tuning. But more important will be the fightback by Arafat's opponents in PLO. The Democratic Alliance, (PFLP, DFLP, PCF and PLF), having placed their faith in the Aden-Algiers agreement as the right panacea to unite the PLO, to control Arafat and to retrieve the historical positions of the PLO, found themselves overtaken by events as Arafat gave them the cold shoulder and took the lead in calling for a PNC. The resultant PNC has been declared non-legitimate, by the Democratic Alliance, on the grounds that it was boycotted by the majority of organisations in the PLO. In its wake no of the
George Habash, General Secretary of the
PFLP stated that "the de facto which the
Central Committee of Fatah is trying to force the on rest organisations will not last long" (!) and he announced yet another plan of action "to strengthen the Deomcratic Alliance, continue the dialogue with the Nationalist and
Alliance (Fatah dissidents,
General
Command, prepare for a unifying PNC.
and too late. Arafat confidently proceeded with his plans and outflanked them once again, agreement and the launch of the Mubarak plan. The left reated to this with a rallying the call for a united front of all forces to beat back the agreement, and while it is likely that most organisations will respond, it is almsot certain that such a move - essence correct and necessary traditional already become a cry in the wilderness.
The too far too fast, to be reversed simply by forging tactical alliances. Only a powerful mobilisation of the Palestinian masses can now stop Arafat in his tracks and gut all moves towards and it is the Left which must be the
Palestinian of the it sO
1S
Alliance,
Sai and and to
These measures again proved too little doing with the signing of the Amman cept this in
- has course toward liquidation has gone to initiate grave-diggers compromise with Israel, revolution.
Socialist Viewpoint, No. 4, March 1985. Page 29 spearhead of such a mobilisation.
Turn to the Masses
If holding a unifying PNC on the basis of the policies contained within the Aden-Algiers agreement was once a possibility, no longer. The Democratic which has always remained determinedly against the establishment of a parallel organisation to the PLO, now finds itself politically marginalised inside an organisation which is on the verge of deal with imperialism and recognising the state of Israel. It is certain that the Palestinian masses will never ac-
La pro-imperialisi settlement and vould look up to the Left for leadership were it to provide a credible alternative;
leadership would the more authoritative if it came from the principled elements regrouped in a commanding powertul organisation. With the future of the Palestinian revolution now seriously it question it is the responsibility of the Lef the building of such an organisation. If the Left fails to take up this responsiblity, it will leave the future of the Palestinian people in the hands of the of the Palestinian