[In our issue number 115, of 6 September…]

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In our issue number 115, of 6 September 1978, we published an interview with a member of the Workers League of Palestine, which at the time allied itself with the OCI-led Committee for the Reconstruction of the Fourth International. Since then there have been major developments in the OCRFI also reported in our columns. As a result the Workers League sent a representative to the WSL'S International Summer School, whose views we publish here.

How would you describe the main developments in the political situation in Palestine since the Begin-Sadat agree.

ments?

We would say that during the past year, the chief development has been a growing crisis in the Zionist regime.

This has been a crisis of the bourgeois governments of the entire area, but for the Zionists it has meant on the one hand increasing pressure from the US imperialists to make serious concessions to the Arab bourgeoisie which in general they refuse to do, and on the other hand the growth of mass movements in Palestine itself.

The Iranian revolution, which forced the rapid conclusion of the Camp David accords between the Zionists and the Egyptian rulers under the patronage of the US imperialists, also after an initial period of hope among the Jewish masses unleashed a new period of disillusionment and a series of struggles in Palestine itself.

Demonstrations

There have been big demonstrations of young Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and strikes among many groups in other parts of occupied Palestine, notably among building workers, nurses and teachers.

The teachers actually called off their strike for a time after the Camp David accords, but resumed it when they discovered that the agreements had changed nothing.

There have also been a number of movements particularly of oriental Jews, who are the most oppressed amongst the non Palestinians, against rapid rises in rents and shortage of housing.

These, for example, took the form towards the end of last year of large scale boycotts of the municipal elections in Jerusalem.

There have also been newly formed tenants organisations, and other manifestations of discontent. on these questions.

The background to all this has been that prices in general have doubled over the last year, and rents have tripled.

How will the Zionist rulers of Palestine react to this?

They can only do so, di always, by increased repression.

It is important to understand that for the Zionists, it is impossible to arrive at a 'peace treaty' in the same way as other bourgeois rulers.

They exist by the exclusion of' the Palestinians from their state, and by a continual expansion of their territorial claims.

They have refused to make concessions of any sort to Arab bourgeois regimes other than Egypt, despite US pressure.

Palestinian refugee camp They have not even pretended to carry out the agreement reached at Camp David to suspend the setting up of new settlements on the West Bank.

Bantustan

Although the imperialists are determined to establish a bantustan state for Palestinians on the West Bank, the Zionists refuse to accept anything of the sort.

They are quite incapable of taking a single step in the direction set out for them under US pressure at Camp David. SETTLEMENTS IN OCCUPIED AREAS Haifa Galilee Mediterranean Sea.

Camp Kadum Nablus Tel Aviv WEST B.1.VK Jerusalem Hebron Dead Sea Gaza Rafah G.IZA STRIP El Arish SINAI] Zionist What are the main developments amongst the anti-Zionist forces in Palestine during the recent period?

The most notable feature has been the growth amongst the Palestinian youth of the nationalist organisations, as against the Rakeh (the Palestinian Stalinist Since 1976 there has been a great politicisation of this youth layer.

Although this is a large movement, existing in the Arab villages and also in the univer. sities, it does not have any fixed ideology beyond a complete hostility to the Zionist state. This new movement, which has developed precisely because the Stalinists of Rakeh showed themselves prepared to make compromises with the Zionists, identifies itself with the PLO, but goes beyond the policies of Arafat and the other leaders.

Not satisfied The Palestinian. youth are not satisfied with the concept of a 'Palestinian entity' on the West Bank, but speak openly now of the destruction of the state of Israel. GOI1)

HECHES Seat of SYRIA Jordan Rive Ammar Jeric JORDAN nil DRI ( isdn. ... bomb damage in Lebanon in the universities of Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beersheba and Jerusalem, the nationalists have presented lists for student elections which were capable of challenging and at times defeating, the previously unchallenged strength of the Stalinists.

Similarly, the nationalists ran big demonstrations on May Day when the Stalinists postponed theirs in deference to Zionist commemorations of their war dead.

The Pabloites of the Revolutionary Communist League, official section of the USF I have completely adapted to these nationalist trends.

They correctly take part in demonstrations, movements for the freeing of imprisoned nationalist militants, those expelled from the universities and so forth, but they refuse to put forward any independent policies, to take forward the socialist tasks of this movement.

What general are your political for Pales- policies now tine?

As we explained in our Zionist military terror