Why Begin Wages War

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3XX. tory was in the hands of the We reprint below an abridged version of a statement issued by the Workers League of Palestine. The Workers League is affiliated to the Fourth Internationalist Tendency. Not all of the positions it contains are exactly those held by Socialist Organiser but the statement is a useful analysis of the present struggle in Lebanon.

FOR years, imperialism has conducted its policy in the region. under the banner of striving for 'political settlements' and 'peace' • The. American Rogers Plan and its adoption by Israel and Egypt paved the way for the massacre of September '70 during which tens of thousands of Palestinians were murdered. The Camp David Accords sealed the sale of Egypt to the American companies and gave Begin a green light to establish the 'Civilian Administration' headed by Milson in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The only meaning of the imperialist policy of 'political settlements' is the consolidation of the Zionist regime of repression, exploitation and murder. For years we have warned that behind the talks on "settling the question of Palestine" were hidden plans to inflict a death-blow on the Palestinian people and to deny them any political expression whatsoever.

Knife

The full US backing for Israel in the June 1982 war, without which the Israeli aggression would not have been possible, must ultimately remove any illusion that there exists a "democratic" way of imperialist rule in the region, respecting the right to self-determination., The knife stuck in the heart of Lebanon should remind the masses of the region that the return of the Palestinian retugees, peace, democracy and human lite, al won't be achieved until the removal of imperialism, with all its agents, from the region.

Since 1967, when the mass struggle of the Palestinian people for the return to their homeland developed, Israel has pursued a consistent policy of bombarding the concentrations of Palestinian and Lebanese population, military operations and punitive expeditions. This policy brought the destruction of the economic and social sub-structure of Lebanon and the ruin of most of the villages and cities of Southern Lebanon.

Turkey Solidarity Campaign Contact: BM Box 5965. London WCIN Zionist troops marc to annex the Golan Heights during the Polish upheavals of 1981.

The Palestinian masses in their struggle inspired the Lebanese masses, resisting with all available means the Israeli attacks, whereas the Lebanese central government was exposed in its refusal and inability to defend its citizens and lands.

In 1975; confronting murderous provocations of the fascist Falangists, attempts at establishing martial law and Israeli terrorist aggression, the unity of the Lebanese and Palestinian masses showed its power. The revolutionary position of the Palestinian left, rejecting the official PLO policy of 'noninterference in the internal matters of the Arab states' and creating fighting unity with the Lebanese masses, showed the right way to defend the Palestinian and • Lebanese nationaj democratic interests.

Defence

The Lebanese masses struggled against the exploitation imposed by imperialism and its allies; the bankers and the feudalists, against the fascist bands and the anti-democratic structure of the Lebanese state, and for united defence against the Israeli attacks and raids.

After a series of battles, 80% of all Lebanese terriunited forces of the Palestinian and Lebanese masses.

The military intervention of the Syrian Ba'ath regime in 1976, in agreement with the US and Israel saved the fascists from being totally crushed. This Syrian-Falangist military unity directed against the revolution, together with the limiting of the perspective of the revolution itself by the leadership of the 'Progressive Front' and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, who refrained from consistently carrying out the tasks of dividing the lands to the fellahin (poor peasants) and the socialist organisation of the economy, restrained the revolution.

Undefeated

But the masses, although suffering heavy bloody blows in Tel Al-Za'atar and Jisser el-Basha, were not defeated. The Palestinian organisations and Left and Democratic militias retained their control over their weapons.

A situation of a continuous civil war was created in Lebanon, with the local bourgeoisie incapable of reconstructing a bourgeois state apparatus, and the Left and Palestinian militias continuing to build their power.

In this situation, and after the imperialist treaty between Zionism and the Egyptian bourgeoisie had been established, imperialism decided to attempt 'solving the Lebanese problem' through the Israeli military force.

But the aims of imperialism in Lebanon - the establishment of a satellite state, administered by a local dependent bourgeoisie and succeeding in oppressing the Lebanese masses and preventing any political •and military expression to the Palestinian struggle for national liberation — these aims are historically impossible. Even in the short run, the realisation of these political aims is unlikely to happen. In Beirut, in Northern Lebanon and in the occupied territories - there is continuing the mass struggle of Palestinians and Lebanese with a determined decision to defend themselves and their revolution at any price.

The aggression in Lebanon was made possible only due to the state of the regimes in the Arab East, which is the most convenient for imperialism since 1948. The period following the Second World War was characterised by the collapse of a series of reactionary regimes, and by a subsequent revolutionary wave, its height coming into full expression in the years 1958-9.

But in no country was there revolutionary workers' leadership at the head of the masses, capable of leading this wave beyond the establishment of Bonapartist regimes, establishing a socialist regime, and thus really uproot the foundation of imperialist rule. The limited scope of the achievements won by the Bonapartist regimes and their weaknesses were soon exposed.

Since then, imperialism has resumed its total control over Egypt, strengthened its hold in Iraq and has been aided by the consolidtion of the petrolbourgeoisie in building a reactionary front in the whole region.

Against this background, the Palestinian revolutionary struggle projected itself as an example and symbol for the masses of the whole region. But it should be understood that the Palestinian problem is an outcome of the pattern of imperialist rule in the region and that it cannot be solved without overthrowing this whole order.

Imperialism, dividing the region and preventing the formation of a united Arab state with a real basis for independence, cultivated the Israeli colonialist state as a basis for military actions against the countries of the region. Israeli military power was built by Begin with his principal military and economic sponsor (above); another vic tim of Zionist aggression in Lebanon (left). imperialism not only in order to oppress and exploit the residents of Palestine, but as a perpetual military threat against the masses of the region. The Palestinians were expelled from their homeland so as to prevent them from constituting any danger in the Israeli base.

Alone they cannot defeat this mighty military tool. Those who attempt to pose the Palestinians alone against Israel to demand their rights, either politically or multarily, send them into a death-trap and thus renounce any real struggle for the independence of the region from imperialism.

Full victory

As the problems of Lebanon can only be solved in the full victory of the Lebanese masses, in establishing national independence against imperialism, establishing full democracy and building socialism under the leadership of the working class, so the masses in Lebanon, or the other countries of the region, will never be free to decide their future without getting rid of the Israeli threat in the service of the United States of America., i.e. without solving the Palestinian problem, dismantling the lethal Zionist military apparatus and establishing a democratic state in Palestine.

The war of occupation of Lebanon exposes, internally also, the mounting enslavement of the Zionist state to the role it plays as a military policeman of imperialism in the region. During this war, Zionism could not use the usual excuse of 'danger of annihilation' within the Jewish masses so as to pull them into being cannon-fodder in the service of imperialist aims.

Zionism found itself obliged to lie time and again as to the aims of the war and its real scope. For the first time, during the war itself there could be heard the voice of democratic opposition the Zionist war amongst the Jews.

At the same time, the pseudo-opposition within the Zionist establishment is exposing its zero value and its humbling devotion to the illusion of military power, when the whole Israeli political establishment is silencing any criticism soon as the military apparatus begins its action.

"he Zionist state is in a continuous economic and political crisis. The on 38, unceasing opposition the Palestinians against the occupation has eroded strength of zoiim mal even began to influence part of the Jewish masses.

Already now the occupation of Lebanon imposes an additional burden on the Israeli economy, a burden which the bourgeoisie tries, in turn, to impose on Arab and Jewish working class.

As long as the opposition to repression and the 'political settlements' that Israel is trying to impose in Lebanon and in Palestine continues - so the possibility that part of the Jewish masses will refuse to be a cannon-fodder is increasing and that a united approach of the working bass under Israeli rule will paralyse the war and the apparatus of oppression.

20 June 1982

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