Plo Leadership Crisi

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The much publicised divisions within the Palestinian Liberation Organisation which came to the surface on 24 May will come as no surprise to Trotskyists who have understood the dynamic of the Palestinian Revolution.

The Zionist invasion of south Lebanon and the efforts of UN troops to enforce the de facto territorial boundaries this has created have brought into question the policies of Yassir Arafat and the PLO leadership in allying with the Arab bourgeoisie in order to defeat the Zionists.

Trotskyists have always stated that the struggle against Zionism by the Palestinians would inevitably bring them into conflict not only with the imperialist backers of the Zionists but also with all those in the Arab world who are tied to imperialism.

During April over 100 guerrillas have been detained by the PLO leadership for trying to get through south Lebanon to fight the Zionists.

On May 22 the UN political commander Roberto Guyer announced that his forces would act in the same way to restrict the guerrillas.

The Zionists then announced yet another date for their "final withdrawal" from south Lebanon, 13 June.

At the same time Zionist defence minister Weizman announced plans for the setting up of six new urban centres as opposed to the usual 'settlements', in the occupied West Bank territories.

A few days later further plans to take over the property of exiled Palestinians more also proposed by the Begin regime.

All of these developments show very clearly that the Zionists have no intention whatever of arriving at any sort of "peace settlement' with the Palestinians.

They aim to grab as much territory as possible from the Palestinians and • to build 'buffers" 'occupied zones' and other euphemisms for colonialism, for as long as they are able.

Nor does it now seem possible for even the bourgeois Arab regimes to arrive at the 'compromise' of setting up a bantustan state for the Palestinians.

This is the context of the crisis within the PLO. The announcement came on 24 May in a document signed not only by Habash's Popular Front and other parts of those who have always been "rejectionists" , but also, by Hawatmeh's. Democratic Front' which has worked closely with the Iraqis and tended in recent years to side with Arafat.

The 24 May statement said:

'We feel that political decisions are being taken individually instead of collectively.

There is no participation in the adoption of decisions since (the Fatah leadership) is still the party that determines the political decisions"

The reasons for this statement became clear on the following dav when there was announced the setting up of a new three man committee to supervise military operations in south Lebanon.

The three man committee will include representatives of the PLO, the Lebanese government and the Syrian forces who are still occupying Lebanon in large numbers.

Its aim, according to an interview with Arafat published in Al Hawadess is to end all Palestinian military operations in Lebanon and for the movement to confine itself to "propaganda and information" activities.

It was also announced that instructions had been issued to PLO units to cooperate actively with the UN forces, and commanders north of the Litani river have been told to use force if necessary to prevent guerrillas from going behind the UN lines.

A unified 'Palestinian army' was also proposed to enforce these policies.

It is difficult to see how these policies of the PLO leadership can win support among rank and file anarrilla finhtare or the Arab masses, including Lebanese socialists, who have fought tenaciously to support their struggle and their right to pursue it.

With the virtual abandonment now of direct negotiations between the Zionists and Arab bourgeois regimes, colonialist rule can only be maintained by coopting into its system of rule the leaderships of those fighting aaainst them.

Arafat There can be no doubt that the stresses within the Palestinian movement represent the crisis of leadership among the anti-imperialist forces in the area, a crisis which can only be resolved by those who fight for socialist policies and a Trotskyist party to mobilise the working class and the peasantry lin conflict with the Arab bourgeoisie.

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SOCIALIST PRESS, Weinesiar 31 Mar 1978 Pig= =