Arabs in Israel, Monthly Review Press Abram Leon The Jewish Question, Pathfinder Press, £3.25 Maxime Rodinson Israel Colonial Settler Press, £1.95.
Rosemary Sayigh Palestinians Peasants IO Revolutionaries. Zed Press, £3.95.
Nathan Weinstock Zionism: False Messiah. Ink Links, £4.95 Khamsin Journals — Nos 5-9. Available from The Other Bookshop 328 Upper St, London NI.
Socialist Challenge 22 April 1982 'left' has had question dilemma. the state ported guilt economic late rapidly. 'The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is of two oppressed nationalities fighting a just struggle - un fortunately against each other. In such cases, someone has to lose. This is one of the main arguments that Zionists explain the legitimation of the Zionist state and its war against the Arabs. This argument enormous impact in the labour movement in western Europe, including Britain. It poses the whole Palestinian-Israeli a tragic OUt inevitable It has helped to confuse many people as to the exact nature of Generations of socialists have sup.
the Zionist partly because of this left Zionist propaganda, partly because of the shock and west after the Nazi Holocaust. The support given by tr JSSR and the reformist parties, suc as the British Labour Party to the foundation of Israel have also given credence to unis nolon To understand the true nature of the Zionist state , we must examine the beginnings of the Zionist movement in the 19th century within the context of what was then happening in Europe Europe in the 19th century saw ar upsurge of nationalist movements Zionism was one small group among many. It arose as a response by the Jewish petty-bourgeoisie in Eastern Europe to the worsening social and conditions the development of capitalism, to the anti-semitism and pogroms and to the mass emigration of Jews to Western Europe and North America.
Capitalism developed relatively Eastern Europe. but outt The ending feudalism (Russia abolished serfdom in 1863) created masses of landless peasants in the towns and cities. here was no 'healthy' capitalism to replace the old feudal structures and utilise the newly
onism robbed the Palestinians Palestinians is thus inevitable. A new generation of Palestinian youth many or whom were children at the time Palestinian September 1970 and at the time of the 1973 war — are being thrown into numbers Palestinians within the borders of the Zionist state create ideological problems for the Israelis in posing the Palestinian threat all For the Zionist extremists this created work force.
Jews became scapegoats for the ruling class. It was allegedly the Jews' was massive misery, unemployment etc. gerea oft vicious. whole Jewish communities massacred. As a result emigrated Europe and North America.
Zionist Ideology onisms basee on a reacuonary ano racist that It is the 'natural' sentiment of nonThis 'fact of life' Jews. combatted, therefore Jews must ovs cally separated goyish (non-Jewish) society.
This self-fulfilling refuses to solve the problem of antiand other forms of racism SCHILSI by attacking, the cause society and its need scapegoats.
By the early 20th century only a A regular occurence in the occupied territories - Palestinians harassed by Israeli troops hardly constitutes a problem.
defeat the teWs occupation, and impoverishment weapon of Israeli domination.
'external' Bank under the iron heel.
poverty, Why Israel is a colonial state This tri were 1881 to Western in the Arab East The Herzl, whose manifesto ment be the Congress of Basel in 1897 Callul be hostile the goal of Palestine of prophecy law'.
capitalist for convenient and coordist They regard the Palestinians as modern expressions of the historical enemies of the Canaanites and Amalekites. As such they should be forced to leave or make war. Since the more and more land of the West Bank Arabs has been confiscated. Economic dispossession prime Every effort is being made to bring the Palestinian people on the West who now make up the majority of the Plans for establishing an exclusively Jewish state in Arab Palestine toman found little support among Jews until British imperialism was persuaded to sponsor the project in order to justify its own continued intervention the Zionist theoretician Theodor The Jewish State gave the impetus to the developZionist founded the Zionist organisation at The programme adopted defined to Zionism as 'the creation in a nomelang jol Jewish people guaranteed by public The Zionist leaders presented their plan to the European powers as part and parcel of European expansionism Around the They would be the spearhead of EuroFaced with a new rise Palestinian masses, the Zionist state has been preparing for the possibility of dealing a decisive blow to the Palestinian cause by taking out the Palestinian strongholds in Lebanon. While only a minority • just under ten per cent — of Palestinians live in the Lebanon, it is where most of the Palestinian camps are Caled c centre of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and the guerrillas.
The constant government crisis in Israel is the expression of a polarisaPalestine.
Mandate Palestine After the first World War Britain and France alvidea up ine ola ut Empire between them, maestre became British Mandate 1922-1947. This period saw the rise of Zionist immigration and development of a autonomous Jewish community called the Yishuv. The Yishuv had its assembly of Deputies who organised social activities, education, taxes and other services.
In 1922 the Histadrut was founded bring co-operatives, distribution of goods, to run a torm of social security and medical plan, banks, and insurance. Its main task was to promote the hiring of however, aDOU ODDUSCU LU labour. It was (and still is) simultaneously a 'trade union' and capitalist entrepreneur - it is one of the largest landowners and employers in Israel. The armed struggle continues tion which is developing in Israeli society. The strain psychological constantly at war is beginning to show.
While the Zionist extremists are very strong, counter building up.
Israelis bombed southern Lebanon, a significant section of public opinion was agalost me war.
three largest cities in the north, who would have suffered violent confrontations culminated in the Arab Rebellion of 1936-1939 with a six month general strike. The revolt was brutally suppressed by the British and it took the Arabs years to recover and trom inel losses, a sighilalt lacto.
contributing to their defeat in 1948.
The slaughter semibeen sayllle for Jews was in the Jewish State. They demanded that any longer on the question of setting up a he Zionists attention was turned away from the Arabs onto the British as the main enemy. Britain, unable to resolve the situation it had created, handed over United Nations.
1947 UN Partition Plan Arab were to be created, one Arab and one Jewish. War broke Arabs resisting the handing, over of half of Palestine and the Zionist army economic and - of living in a state beginning to pressures are Committee Zeit wnen in July 19o1 the People in the deepens, in such a coneconomy, worsening becoming of the population!
of 6 million Jews people - that the only safe place the British not stal our forefathers.
problem to the The result was the • two states with the thousands of flict, left their homes en masse.
A new anti-Zionist movement is Many young Israelis are drawing the conclusion that there is no future in a permanent state of war with the Palestinians. The for Solidarity with Bir University mobilised thousands behind the slogans 'We - don't want another war' and 'Army out of the West Bank'. As the crisis the Zionist rulers will not have it all their own way rising conditions are Ihere Is conspicuous racism towards Jews of - the maioriti The fact that the rate of emigration from Israel is considerably higher than immigration to Israel shows that are fec up with leading miserable lives and losing relatives ir wars for expansionist purposes. one slogan of the Peace Now movement put it, 'The lives of our children are more important than the graves of But above all, socialists should not support Zionism because it has not achieved its primary goal. It has not sheltered Jews from anti-semitism. I has not created the basis for ridding the world of racist poison. Indeed it has done its share to keep it going. What are
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during the Second World War seemed to confirm all that the Zionists had