determination, recognising the PLO, and calling for a secular democratic state in Palestine as the long term solution to the Middle East conflict.
Israel's leaders heaped abuse on the extremists and the antisemites in the Labour Party and quickly stirred their supporters and apologists into action. Active Zionists
Kaufmann, Hattersley, Kitson, Shore & Co. — used all the leverage they could muster to quash the new policies.
Their task was made even easier by the lack of concern from those who supported the motion. While the pro-Arab wing of the Labour Right - exemplified by Don Concannon, Chair of the Labour Middle East Council were not prepared to challenge their political allies in the Party, the left were too heterogeneous to mount a viable challenge.
Benn and Heffer left Labour Friends of Israel, but far from totally espousing the Palestinian cause they still kept some sympathy for the state of Israel and its right to exist under its present form.
Militant, having maintained pro-Israell priorities throughout, echoed Reagan's ranting denunciation of the PLO as a "bunch of terrorists". rest of the left didn't think the issue a viable or important battleground against the leadership.
Only the IMCfP consistently fought, year in year out, to reconfirm policies. With the left in disarray, Labour's International Department contidently contrived to scorn Conference decisions and singled out Palestine events for exclusion from the Conference diary. The reason has always been that Palestine meetings will invite speakers who are not members of the Socialist International: the logic of this ruling is that it would representatives of the Palestinians, Irish Republicans, the ANC and most of the liberation movements in America: it would leave the Labour Party on the side of oppression, revolution and in open defence of the imperialist world order.
Further, the NEC's rejection of the idea of inviting a PLO representative to Conference means that instead, Israel's Minister for Economic Planning, was an official guest at Conferencel The warm welcome to Yacobi is the most clear evidence of the support that the Party leadership will continue to give to Israel.
In a recent leaflet, Labour Friends of Israel had nothing but praise for Kinnock's commitment to Zionism:
The Israeli Labour Party can rely on support from me and my Party for as long as 1 shall be leader for 1 know the course they have set themselves... They can do it best with our assistance, our alliance, our support, our words of comfort. our comradeship endorsement.
This staement unegivocally sets out the leadership's stance on Zionism. strong and co-ordinated challenge by all supporters of the Palestinians inside the Labour Party and trade union movement can force the leadership to recognise Conference decisions in support Palestinians
The LMCfP can and will provide this ch. lenge. Its activities ought to be supporte.' by every Labour Party member.
The Labour Movement Campaign for Palestine can be contacted at: LMCP, London WCIN 3XX.
unashamedly The these "outlaw" Central/South counter- Gad Yacobi, 1. ISRAEL IS THE ONLY DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST been subjected to: tion without trial; • confiscation of land; services. and our Only a settle in Israel citizenship rights. 2. ISRAEL GIVES EQUAL RIGHTS TO WOMEN. of the Israel allows: • no secular marriage; • no divorce of men by women. BM Box jobs.
Victims of an Israeli "terror" raid on South Lebanon. Ten things about the Middle East Palestinians under Israeli rule have • arbitrary detention and deporta- • gross discrimination in housing, employer. education, employment and welfare It has So far, over a million Palestinians have been made refugees. They can- of Lebanon. not return. Any Jewish person from anywhere in the world is entitled to workers. with immediate •no marriage of Jews to non-Jews; Israeli women receive vastly lower pay than Israell men and need their usbands permission to do certain Socialist Viewpoint, No 8, November 1986. Page 9
The position of Palestinian women under Israell rule is far worse, for Palestinian women are discriminated against as Palestinians and as women. 3. ISRAEL LEADS THE WAY IN TRADE UNION ORGANSIATION The Histadrut (General Federation of Labour in Israel) is Israel's largest
Factually sacked striking workers. In 1982, it imposed a 2 to 5% levey to help finance the invasion Up to 1959 it was closed to Palestinian
Now it has a segregated department for 'Arabs'. Palestinians who live on the West Bank and work in Israel pay dues but receive no protection or services. 4. ISRAEL TAKES A STAND AGAINST TERRORISM The terrorist acts perpetrated in Sabra and Chatila caused world-wide revulsion and condemnation.
Such acts in support of Zionism are nothing new. 254 Palestinians were The zionist organise Don gun boy the Zionist organisation Irgun which Begin is a former leader).
Daily terrorism by the military authorities against Palestinian civilians in Occupied Palestine is a fact of life. 5. ISRAEL STRIVES FOR PEACE IN THE REGION Israel invaded the Lebanon under the slogan "Peace for Galilee" Results: • 30,000 dead • 40,000 wounded and maimed • 150,000 made homeless •and countless houses, hospitals and schools destroyed. For the sake of 'peace', Israel used US manufactured cluster phosphorous bombs (internationally outlawed weapons). 6. ISRAEL UPHOLDS INTERNATIONAL LAW Israel has been condemned many times for continual violations of UN resolutions concerning the rights of the Palestinians. EMPTY WORDS! Another empty gesture has been the setting up of the Kahan Commission following the massacres of Sabra and Chatila. This commission is constantly cited as proving Israel's concern with International Law and opinion. But although Begin, Sharon and military army commanders were clearly implicated, they suffered no real consequences. 7. ISRAEL RESPECTS THE GENEVA CONVENTION The Geneva Convention affords pro-
Israeli tanks crunch into Lebanon in 1982: an eye opener for many Zionist sympathisers. tection to civilians and all armed bodies in conditions of war and oc- it on the West Bank and to thousands of Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Women. by the Red Cross and other bodies). STRUGGLE OF THE OPPRESSED AND THE MINORITIES military ent CIA report and South African duras, Pinochet's Chile on human rights. SEMITISM against and go to Israel ly agree with). public 10. ISRAEL IS A FORCE FOR PROGRESS Israel is a created fact. believe.
cupation. Israel has refused to apply
Othe its men and even children prisoners are held without charge. refused access to lawyers and subjected to the most degrading torture and sexual attacks (all documented 8. ISRAEL SUPPORTS THE Receiving 2.2 billion dollars (1982) from the US in aid - 75% of which is
'— Israel is generous in passing it on to others. According to a re-
Israel is the fifth argest world military exporter. It arms and experts go to support such minority, regimes as the apartheid
government, Honand others with similar appalling records 9. ISRAEL 'FIGHTS' ANTIHighy couns talent for o the
fascism semitism in their countries of origin
- a policy of ghettoisation (that any fascist would readiAll the above points to one conclusion: settler colonialism can never be a force for progress, whatever some in the Labour Party would have us Socialist Viewpoint, No 8, November 1986. Page 20
THE recent hijacking of the Italian Achille Lauro cruise liner by nilitants of the Syrian-based PLF appears to have achieved all of its objectives. It has torpedoed the various "peace" initiatives peddled by the USA and Britain - including the visit to London of representatives from Arafat's PLO leadership and King Hussein. It has driven a wedge between Egypt and the USA: and put Palestinian guerrilla action back on the map. In passing, it appears even to have brought down Italy's reactionary "Socialist"-led coalition government. But it has done nothing to advance the interests of the oppressed Palestinian masses.