latest edition The family went into an 'About 50 of us were cramped in the shelter' hit. people of their fate.
You wouldn't know it the television reports, which talk calmly about 'clashes and 'Israelis encountering further resistance' what was happening was conflict between two conventional armies. But in the course of their operation to 'defend Galilee and mop up the PLO' the Israelis have Massacred nonsend civilians.
Can you imagine what reports how at the Meome'h camp near Sidon, Sihan Mahmud was preparing dinner for her family.
air raid shelter.
said Umm Mahmud. 'The one next to ours was There were hands and heads - pieces of - flying everywhere. When that happened I couldn't stand it any more, so we just ran'. In the confusion she was separated from her husband and daughter and knows nothing would be like if the Russian army had just invaded neighbouring country and killed ten thousand civilians. To sav the least. a little bit more condemnation would be called for. It might even push the royal baby off the front pages But the death of a few thousand Arabs here and there hardly evokes a word or condemnation from the British media. The attitude of the BBC was admirably summed up when an aid agency withdrew With each 12 months inland subscription to NICARAGUA: THE SANDINIST 4. London N1. negotiations for a TV appeal help to i the civilians because the BBC was being. 'obstructive' This nicely attitude of Israelis themselves who are refusallow ships medical and food aid for civilians to dock the Lebanon.
The sheer scale of the destruction wrought in the Lebanon is difficult to imaLic Perhaps one and a half million people have been displaced from their homes by the Israeli invasion. Hundreds of houses and flats in working class areas have been destroyed by te Lionist onizkreig.
As we go to press we are on the verge of an even greater tragedy. premier Begin has promised that his soldiers will not West Beirut. This almost certainly means that an invasion is imminent.
Ihroughout Lne temporary ceasefires arranged SUBSCRIBE!
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Please send me Send to: Socialist Challenge, PO Box 50, London NI LAP by American intermediary Habib, the Israelis have continued their shelling of West Beirut.
Begin and his War Minister Sharon will be unable to resist the temptation to try to slaughter the Palestinians - militias and civilians alike. The repeated attempts to deal with the Palestinian pro. blem militarily leading to its ultimate conclusion: genocide. veritable the Palestinian problem.
The hypocrisy Israelis was well summed up by Sharon when asked David agreement.
The David agreement had three comFirst the recognition of the Zionist state by Egypt, and then hopefully the other Arab states.
Second, the parties to the agreement would work for the replacement of the PLO as the main leadership of the Palestinians. Thirdly, Palestinian mini-state would be set up the West Bank of the Jordan where the becalmand deteated Palesti nians could be cooped up.
The failure the Camp "peace protiers. t • 1s an to demoralise and crush the whole Palestinian population. vious military setback, like But • arter eacn the one suffered in Jordan September 1970 the Palestinian people have refused to lie down.
Moreover the Palestinians are part the the Arab people whole. • The Arab national'ist regimes that have refused to all effective assistance to the Palestinians are going to be called ple Begin and Sharon are perpetuating the tragedy Palestinians. But they are storing up an even bigger tragedy for the future. They have made Israel an outcast among nations. Even the support of US imperialhold will not last forever the Zionist strongISRAEL OUT OF
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Palestinian refugee Then the Israeli air and sea attack began.
the press and TV publicity TIME magazine summed it up graphically. Its