Lionist Genocide With American Backing :Behind The Misery

THE ferocity of Israel's genocidsl war in Lebanon proves, yet again, that there can be nelther peace nor justice in the Middle East until the Palestinians’ national rights are recognised, PALESTINIAN DIASPORA Total Palestinian population (1975) 3 million: 95% still live in the Arab world and more than 50% in historical Palestine, ie under Teraeli occupation, WHO ARE THE PALESTINIANS?

They were the indigenous peers of Palestine before 1945. The majority were Palestinian Arabs of the Muslis, Christian and Druze religions, nomadic Bedoulns and thére were a few small Jewish communities. The Palestinians were tainly small peasant farmers.

WAS PALESTINE EVER INDEPENDENT?

No, The people living in this area had been subject to suc= cessive occupations <= the = (Turkish) Eepire and Up @ Gendate coleny efter the first World Wer, The next colonisers to arrivé were the Cionista fren Europe.

Te aid Wornaii) pte Seolidarecae alors fi One of the leading members of Solidarnose in exile, Zbigniew Kowalewaki, visited Ireland during the ICTU conference fn July. Kowalewski, who was a fember of the Bode Regione] Presidium of Solidarnose, was here to address the founding heeting of the Belfast. branch of the Irish-Pslish Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), Other speakers at the meeting included John Mitchell, General Secretee ary of the Electricity Supply Hoard Officials Association (ESBOA)‘and Inez, McCormack, a full=time official with the National Union of Public Empleyees (NUPE).

Howalewski outlined to the meeting the present position of Solidernogc in Poland as it prepares for @ general atrike in the Autumn, He spoke of the determination of the Polish workers to see en enc ta martial law and the upholding of the free independent trade union, ‘Zbigniey thanked Trish trade unionists for the support they had already given to Solidarnosc, WHAT IS THE STATE OF ISRAEL Zionist colonisation of Balea-= stine with the. help of British imperiallem aimed te create an exclusive Jewish state in Palestine -- at the expense of the indigenous population Unlike the previous oceupations it aimed to expel the Palestinian Arabs from their land, DID THEY SUCCEED?

To 8 large extent yes. The Palestinian Arabs rebelled Nos _ in 1975 a 450), 300 12,6 758,400 2.5 228,000 Oo. 4 6hi,, 200 20.8 163,000 5.9 35,000 tel 49,000 1.3 10,000 Os 59,000 1.9 29,000 0.9 againat Zionist colonisation in the Arab Revolt of 195639, were defeated by the British and Zionists and in T9L7-.8 the Zionist armies Grove out of Palestine 600,000 Arabs and declared the mew State of Israel on three-quarters of historical Palestine, Only 770,000 Palestinians remained inside the borders of the new Zionist state.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REST OF PALESTINE?

The areas which the Zionists were unable to gai of -- the West Bani " <= Were occupied.

the Israelis invaded these aress and hes been occupying thes for 15 years.

the coming months, Tt head teen hoped that with Zbigniew in Belfast at the same time as the ICT cenference, he would have been invited to attend as a fraternal delegate. In 1984 Janugz Onyekiewitz, 4 Solidarnos¢ Leader now interned jn Poland, received a standing ovation when he addressed ICTU deleg= ates. This year the ICTU executive was determined not te enbarrase ite Stalinist members and rejected the request or many unions that Zbigniew be allowed to apeak.

However, when Zhieniew's pregence in the visitors! gallery at the conference was announced by National Union ‘of Journalists (NUJ) delegate Carol Coulter, 4 great mimber of delegates stood in applause to acknowledge their support.

This was Zbigniew's second Visit to Ireland. In March this year he visited Dublin and met John Carroll, Christy Kirwan, and Michael Mulien, the three leading office-holders in the Irish Tranaport ard General Workers' Union (ITQWY), The three men pledged their union's support for oélidernsse.' Unfortumate-= ly, that did net stop many of the ITGW delegates voting against the resolution at the ICTU canference which called for the lifting of martial law and the release of all internees. Nevertheless, the resolution was adopted by e large majority and trede union supporters of Solidarnoéc will GO AFTER 79,87 the - ares, THE DIASPORA? tens of thousands fo to Lebenon, WHERE DID THE PALESTINIANS They fled to neighbouring Arab states and became exiled minorities, Same went to Europe and America, The core of the Palestinian ghourba exile and alienation) was in the camps of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. They were ecattered and exposed to different political systems and influences throughowt the Arab East, To the Arab regimes the refugees were a burdensome Problem and a reminder of-the their inability to stop the creation of the Zionist state —- imperialise's watehdog-in HOW HAVE THE PALESTINIANS SURVIVED 45 A PEOPLE WITH A NATIONAL IDENTITY DESPITE Their determination to. return ta Palestine, their disillusion with the Arab regimes which supported the Palestinian ‘cause? but did nothing to help them regain their country, and the repression of the Palestinians by the Arab regimes led to a new phase af Palestinian resistance in the 1960s -- the rise of the Verioud organisations making up the Palestinian Resistance Movement and their call for Nass armed struggle to liberate occupied Palestine. The resistance uged to be based in Jordan. In 1970 Eine Hussein launched a barbaric attack against the Palestinians with the help of Israel and the US. The ensuing massacre, known ef Black September, left 9,000 dead and ‘ahd Lebanon The centre of the Resistance was forced to The various organisations in the Palestine Resalstance Movetent developed s state within 4 State in Lebanon =<- they heve built up Palestinian hospitels, achools, the General Unions of workera, women amu Studentas with branches all round the world, & government in exile, the Pelestinisn Nationel Council, snd organised the “administrsetion of the Camps , WHY SUPPORT THE PALES'TINT ANS? For 3) years the Palestinians have: lived tn exile. ~ Their struggle for national liberg— tion, their right to return to Palestine is a just, anti-imperialist atrugple, At this moment in Lebanon they are suffering thelr worst defest in the Israeli genocide of the last month. Solidarity with their struggle ia needed urgently,