[YAEL, a supporter of the Workers' League of…]

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YAEL, a supporter of the Workers' League of Palestine, spoke to Class Fighter when she visited London. She is now back in the he flag, boys.

YAEL, a supporter 1 Class Fighter when s Middle East.

What is life like for people in Israel?

There are two separate communities in Israel: the Israeli Jews and the Palestinians. The groups are separate and their The two communities go •to separate schools and they speak different languages Arabic and Hebrew. They only meet at üniversities or when they are at work.

Palestinians tend to have strict rules for young women - they don't go out alone and have to be in early in the evenings. The young Palestinian men are freer but still will usually live with their parents.

At 18 all Jews have to join the army, except for a few groups - women who are married, etc. Woren spend two years in the army, men three years. When they leave at 20 or 21, there is a great pressure on them from their parents and from society to get married and settle down.

Jewish youth have a very short time free from responsibility. This makes them conform a lot more than in Britain — you don't see Israeli youth with coloured hair! It also makes them not very interested in politics.

What political organisations are there for youth?

The Likud and the Labour Party (main political roundi id for a small taste of what the e like with the war in the Nelson up from his grave, k force out into the sea. : firing rockets that cost a or practice. We also saw a ne. The media waged war pose Thatcher's war. saw extended news cover₩ responsible for all those , backed Britain and the ck Britain? For its YOPs or 40 hours work a week? it ensure we won't fight Id the police? The social we get too much on the hg over three million on tave no reason to 'back be called traitors, we've in the first place so how parties) have youth movements. Jewish youth join these youth movements at about 10. The youth movement you join depends on which one has a club nearest your school - it doesn't depend on your politics. They are more like social clubs than political groups.

There are also Jewish yoath movements connected with the religious parties - many of the members of these will go on to join Gush Emunim (an extreme Zionist group) and will go and live in the occupied territories.

Inside the borders of Israel, Palestinian youth can join the Communist Party youth movement or the Patriotic Progressive Movement - a Palestinian nationalist group. These organise political meetings and demonstrations.

In the occupied territories Palestinian youth can join the youth sections of groups within the PLO -Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, etc. But these groups aren't allowed to exist openly so they have to organise under different names. What are occupied territories?

In 1967 Israel 'occupied the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the Golan Heights which at the time were parts of other countries. This is justified in Biblical terms - the Jews are the "chosen race" and these areas are part of the Biblical land of Israel.

Gush Emunim is powerful organisation that supports these occupations. It organises Jews to go and establish settlebers - it's largest demonstration was 15,000. But it has lots of money. They have the best meeting rooms, can produce lots of posters to advertise and can organise free buses to take people to demonstrations.

How have Israeli youth reacted to the invasion of the Lebanon?

Many of them who oppose the invasion will do nothing. Maybe they are opposed to it but there is no political youth movement to organise them.

The youth in the army seem to accept their orders - there's not been much protest. But there have been some big demonstrations in Israel against the invasion. Up to 100,000 people and that's big for Israeli marches. I think so many are opposed to the war because of the casualties. Near where I live in Israel there is cemetery. There have been many burials recently - far more than the authorities have announced publicly for the area. So there is a real feeling against the war and young people are very much part of that.

What can youth do?

British youth should support the rights of the •Palestinians to return to their own land and their right to self-determination - the right to a state where Palestinians are not discriminated against, where they have rights to the land and where they can choose their own representatives. All these rights are denied them in Israel.

British youth must support the organisations fighting for these rights. The PLO is the organisation that the Palestinians wish to represent them. It has been fighting Zionism for the past 18 years. SINCE National LPYS Conference with the South Atlantic crisis in the forefront of people's minds land in the media), Ireland has taken a back slot.

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Othermasefulzandne baboumCom mitteen Manisioms, Huclımteigk Patestie -Solüdaritıya Homuse, Derbyshimezs Trader hatan Fidendi Ernite R oss Me, Jakou SIIIA OAA struggle being waged in Ireland when the media is more concerned with Royal babies and intruders.

Now is the time to start raising the issues in the LPYS. Regional and igShOWI DIN ISAO DONt mim ed arte lt.

towse n di domarttons and sises derc kanneJ Street,. londonanED smof Pallesime _ano ON along to the Class meeting on Ireland with an LCI speaker.

In fact if you haven't heard of the Labour Committee on Ireland then you should be hearing from us for the PTO tion in the YS opposing British imperialism in the North.

Also coming up in November is a recall labour movement conference on

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differences are especially marked among the youth.

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