Zionists Shift Tactics Against Plo

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ON Splember 23 the new Zionist defence minister, Ariel Sharon, announced that the military government on the West Bank would be a civilian administration, although its responsibility would not extend to security matters. The new administration is headed by Menachem Milson, a former advisor to the military government and an officer with the rank of colonel.

This apparently fundamental shift is in reality part and parcel of a drive to liquidate the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) both physically and politically.

There is nothing essentially new în the methods to be employed, all of which have long been used haphazardly.

Deterioration Now, however, they have been drawn together into a coherent strategy with four distinet and complementary aspects.

Firstly, the repression of the elected nationalist Palestinian mayors, including arrests, dismissals and constant harassment. Linked to this is the August 3 military order forbidding the entry of Arab development funds into the West Bank, which were traditionally channelled through the Amman-based joint PLOJordanian committee and which last year disbursed $70 million to West Bank municipalities (representing about 60% of their CORRECTION: There was a glaring mistake in last week's artiçle on The Six County Cockpit: the Protestant Falls Rd' should have read 'the Protestant Shankill Rd'!

The date given for the abolition of proportional representation in Stormont dections was also wrong. The last election on PR was In 1425. but the abolition of PR and the first election on the tir past the post' system were not until 1929. operating budgets and 100% of their development budgets).

The Zionist hope is that a deterioration in urban services will drive a wedge between the Mayors and the PLO on the one hand and the townspeople on the other.

Suppress

The second strategic thread lies in the organising of an alternative leadership' in the rural areas. where Palestinian political organisation has been at its weakest. The Israels are building 'village leagues headed by collaborators. the best known of whom is Mustafa Dudin - the interior Minister of the Jordanian government during Black September 1970, a period when the PLO was driven out of Jordan.

The occupation authorities systematically favour the village leagues in the sphere of economic development. Dudin's Hebron League has. to date. won approval for projects The military will aid Dudin but refuse help to Hebron mayor Mustafa Natshe. and the Israelis are also transferring the functions of the municipalities over to the village leagues, egg. travel permits. community projects. • Thirdly. there has been a surface attempt to tone down the day-to-day harassment of the Palestinians in an effort to make the occupation mort aceeptable. On August12 Sharon issued new guidelines for the troops, calling on them to treat Palestinians with more courtesy at roadblocks and refrain from bursting into schools to suppress demonstrations.

However, none of the oppressive military regulations have been revoked, and the new administration got off to an inauspicious start by using all the oid repressive methods.

Yudiot Aharnot. 3.11.81. reports the demolishing of

Lictims of Zionist bombing

homes as collective punishment and two days later the closure of Bir Zeit university. Ha'aretz 27.10.81 reported the death of a political detainee who had suffered a cerebral haemorrhage while being interrogated in Hebron jail.

The fourth arm of Zionist strategy is simply the assassination of the Palestinians' national leadership, centred in Lebanon. A series of major bombings have killed and wounded hundreds.

Wedge Responsibility has been claimed by a group calling itself the Front for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners lie. Palestinians!. I is widely held that these outrages are the work of the Israeli Secret Service.

These specific assassination attempts go hand in hand with renewed bombing in southern Lebanon aimed at unsettling the local population to drive a by Barry Bradford Campaign Solidarity wedge between the Lebanest communities and the Palestinians and depopulate the region for possible Israeli occupation.

Annexation

Yediot Aharnot 12.11.81 reported that 150 Israelis had participated in a demonstration against the closure of Bir Zeit. Such developments are rare indeed. but point in the necessity for an anti-war movement against the Begin government.

West Bankers see the new Israeli 'approach' for what it is - an attempt to perpetuate the occupation and open the way to the outright annexation of the region, to which the Begin government is committed The World Zionist Organisation has unveiled a plan to settle an additional 100.000 colonists over the next four years, planning 12 to 18 new villages as well as substantial expansion of the existing settlements. urner, secretal Movem for Pal estinian Begin Mayor Bassam Shaka has described the Israeli move as 'a desperate and' futile attempt to undermine Palestinian unity', adding 'In the final analysis they want to annex the West Bank' Socialists in Britain must expose Sharon's elaborate charade and restate the racist, colonialist nature of Zionism, through the building of a viable ongoing Palestinian solidarity movement. Arafat ON FRIDAY Novem the streets of Tehran the shouts of 'Death t er Arafat', as a gover sponsored demon: condemned Arafat's : for the Saudi Arabia for Middle East ment.

On the surface. was condemned for hi less to support that he plan that woul ise the legitimacy state of Israel.

Despite the PLO' ort for this proposal, spite the economic of Saudi Arabia, for th ent at least the plan I ed with the collapse Arab summit at Fr week Other Arab regim osed the plan, but n else was there a dem tion like that in Tehra did the Khomeini ( ment organise the mar Firstly, the Kh regime is trying to g the most intransigent ent of Zionism and in ism, and the most d supporter of the Pale national cause. Suppi the Palestinians is a not only of the revo ary left, but also of wing fundamental ! movements in many Eastern states.

Secondly, Khomi trying to cover up t that the regime does s have friendly links w Zionist state. Arms exist between Tel Ar Tehran, as a recently ised telex proves.

The Zionist state w be delighted at thi regime's refusal recognise the PLO as t legitimate represental the Palestinian peopl would create an imp counterweight to the 1 ition of the PLO or past few years by Eu governments.

The. degeneration Iranian revolution' toppled the Shah shattering of the early ise of workers' counc the evolution of the l regime into a brutal t with dozens of exer every dav and the de ion of every shred of eois democracy ca the loudest opposition In Britain, Iran S ity' has been set inform the workers' ment of what is goi and to mobilise suppr those who are resisti! crushing of human ar