Democratic Palestine : 14 (ص 25)
غرض
- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 14 (ص 25)
- المحتوى
-
‘Israel— Torah Myth or
Imperialist Phenomenon?
On the 12th and 13th of September, a conference was held in Havana, the second of its kind, entitled
«Zionism and World Societies». Over one hundred delegates participated in this conference, from
Algeria, Kuwait, Venezuela, Mexico, Panama, Libya, the PLO, Cuba and others. Representing the PFLP
was the Palestinian scholar, Hussein Abu Namil, who presented a study which is printed below.
It is most significant to hold a conference on Zionism and
world societies in Havana which lies on the other side of the
globe. In the light of the exact name of the conference, most
people will speak of the actions and practices of Zionism and
‘Israel’. | will cover the phenomenon behind this role, ‘Israel’
itself, since it is the material reality of Zionism and its most
active instrument. The nature of Zionism’'s role is inseparable
from the nature of ‘Israel’. In order to clarify the nature of
Zionism's activities, | will deal with the nature of ‘Israel’. In view
of this, we can explain Zionism’s growing interests in world
societies. At first glance, it may seem irrelevant for ‘Israel’ to be
involved in distant countries, but what is distant from ‘Israel’ is
in fact a main part of the broader strategy through which ‘Israel’
and the Zionist movement are mobilized: the strategy of world
imperialism. What is most noticeable is the rapid rise in the role
and influence of the Zionist movement and ‘Israel’ in the su-
preme strategy of imperialism. This reflects the ability of ‘Israel’
to increase its role.
The increase in the international role of the Zionist move-
ment and ‘Israel’ went hand-in-hand with a corresponding
increase in the popularity of the most racist and rightist forces
in Israeli domestic politics. This came about amidst deep social
and economic transformation, after which ‘Israel’ was no
longer just a tool in the hands of imperialism, or a satellite. It
became a full-fledged partner with direct interests, just like any
other traditional imperialist power. One should not overlook the
previous stages of the Zionist project. ‘Israel’ of 1985 is diffe-
rent from ‘Israel’ of 1967 or 1957 or 1947. What is true about
the Zionist project before it established its state is not neces-
sarily the case afterwards. In addition, how others viewed this
project changed at successive stages, as did Zionism’'s view of
itself and the roles of which it is capable. Its role has changed
in accordance with the development of its capacities.
These changes, however, did not change the nature of the
Zionist project. From the beginning, the Zionist movement was
governed by its own narrow mentality, transforming within the
bounds of the imperialist project and based on the latter's plat-
form and interests. The Zionist project was harnessed,
nourished and guided by world imperialism from the first
decade of this century. It grew to the degree that it was capable
of performing an important role in protecting and serving the
Original imperialist program. Moreover, it became a partner in
Its own right, with its own recognized role within the imperialist
project. Once accomplished, the Zionist project was supposed
to play a major role in the Middle East, guarding imperialism's
interests, but this accomplishment was much bigger than orig-
inally planned. In reality, ‘Israel’ and the Zionist movement
today play a much broader role which extends far beyond the
Middle East. Wherever there is a role for imperialism. we find
Zionism at its side. involved in one way or another. It claims to
be «protecting the Jews», but reality indicates that the possibil-
ity of establishing a Zionist empire is not mere imagination.
In the light of this, the aim of my speech is to give a picture
of the entity behind this role. | will speak about the structural
transformation that has occurred in ‘Israel’, forming the base
for ensuing internal and external transformation. This transfor-
mation indicates that the global role of Zionism and ‘Israel’ is
not only due to their relationship with imperialism, but is also
dictated by their own internal structure. ‘Israel’ and the Zionist
movement serve not only imperialism, but themselves as well.
The time when we spoke of ‘Israel’ as a mere tool in the hands
of imperialism is past. Despite its small size, ‘Israel’ has
become one of the pillars of imperialism, with the same rights
and duties as the other imperialist countries. ‘Israel’ has estab-
lished a highly developed industrial economy with the same
qualities as that of any other advanced bourgeois state, in
terms of the degree and rate of growth, and the nature of the
recurring crises. One such crisis stems from surplus produc-
tion which was ultimately dealt with in the traditional imperialist
manner, through expansion and involvement in the world mar-
ket, facilitated by imperialism.
imperialism in the service of Zionism
The history of Zionist activities dates back to before the
first Zionist congress in Basle in 1897. In 1917, the Balfour
Declaration was issued. In 1947, there was the UN decision to
partition Palestine, which paved the way for announcing the
state of ‘Israel’. According to official Israeli surveys, there were
56,800 Jews living in Palestine in 1917. By 1948, an estimated
600,000 Jews lived in Palestine. Comparing these two figures,
we find that the number of Jews living in Palestine increased
more than tenfold during the period of the British Mandate in
Palestine.
The book of official Israeli accounts of the 1947-8 war in
Palestine indicates that «local Jewish factories had been man-
ufacturing the Sishin submachine gun, the mortar cannon and
shells since 1939.» It also notes that «on the eve of the partition
of Palestine, in October 1947, Ben Gurion issued an order to
these factories to begin immediate production of 20,000 rifles,
10,000 machine guns, 5,000 pistols, 5,000 submachine guns
and 4.5 million bullets.» These quotes give several facts, not
least of which is that Britain not only nurtured Jewish immigra-
tion to Palestine; it also nurtured the process of establishing
the Zionist state, with its economic, political, social, military and
police institutions. In other words, Britain participated in build-
ing up a state within a state. The question arises: Is it just a
coincidence that Britain’s 1917 decision to adopt the Zionist
project came at the same time as the Arab area came under
the control of imperialist Britain and its allies? In fact, the
Zionist project did not materialize until it became a need for >
25 - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 14
- تاريخ
- مارس ١٩٨٦
- المنشئ
- الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين
Contribute
Not viewed