Irish Troops in Lebanu

"We view the Arab question through a rifle's sight" -that is the famous declaration of the Israeli general Abraham Yoffe some years ago.

After expelling the Palestinians from their homeland in 1948, the Zionist regime at first considered the Palestinian problem merely a diplomatic nuisance, which its delegates to the United Nations had to deal with whenever an Arab state raised the refugee question, Since 1965, however, confronted with the armed and political struggle of the Palestinian national movement, the rulers of Israel have been determined to eradicate the problem -which has grown into an international question - through the rifle's barrel. And it was this "final solution" that Israel sought to achieve by means of the recent "purifying operation" in Southern Lebanon.

BLITZKREIG The 25,000 Israeli troops who invaded the Lebanon in March were supposed to be "retaliating" against "terrorist bases" after a Palestinian commando operation which resulted in the death of 44 people. The ferocity and ruthlessness of the Israeli troops soon showed that this claim was pure hypocrisy. Just one week after the invasion the number of refugees in the Lebanon was estimated by the United Nations at 265,000, not counting the 100,000 made homeless because of the Lebanese civil war in 1975-76, Far from making any effort to concentrare only on 'militey' targets, the Israelis made a special effort to hil refugee camyos, For the first ‘ime in the Middle Fiast the Israeli bombers dropped cluster bomb units which scatter shrapnel indiseriminately across a footballfield -sized area, The appalling results of this were clear from the newspaper reports and television reports of what happened to the affected areas, Fiven the United States govt., traditionally an unconditional backer of Israel, was forced to make criticisms of its 'blitzkrieg'.

However, it was not concern for 'Human Rights' which motivated the U.S, administration in its subsequent proposal for the replacement of the Israeli's with a U.N, "peace-keeping! force, They realised quicker than the government in Tel Aviv that the invasion was not going to achieve its aim of - in Israeli Premier Pegin's words - "cutting off the evil arm" of the Palestinians. Instead what had happened was : 1) the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO regrouped north of the Litani Piver ; 2) Israel was getting bogged down in a military commitment which could drag on indefinitely and fatally under mine it's ability to survive; 3) Israel was rapidly losing international sympathy and gaining the type ofunwelcome publicity the U.S. received during it's occupation of Viet Nam, Hence the setting up of a UN 'peace-keeping' force. It's principal advantage from the imperialist point of view-is that it has a greater ability to present itself as neutral! Just like the 'neutral' Pritish | troops who came onto the | streets of Pelfast and Derry | in 1969.to replace the 'extr- | eme! PUC and'defend!' the catholic ghettoes from Orange They have gone only to Lebanes territory and not to Israel where the blitzkrieg was | launched; they are only trying to disarm and demobilise the Palestinians; they are trying to rebuild a Mational Lebanese army in co-operation with the extreme vighl-wing Phalangists, in order to put down the j Palestinia ‘esistance, i wilt All of this means that it is the duty of all anti-imperialist organisations in this country to demand the withdrawl of Irish troops from Lebanen and opposition to any UN involvement there, Not alone does the 26-county regime collaboration with i.aperialism in this country in order to frustrate the desire of the Irish for national

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attacks, their real role has | gradually become apparent. |