Democratic Palestine : 35 (ص 4)
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- Democratic Palestine : 35 (ص 4)
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‘The Intifada — ‘Battle of Identity
While trying to market the Shamir plan under the guise of «free elec-
tions,» the Zionist authorities embarked on the most sweeping
measures yet to squash the Palestinian struggle for freedom in the
occupied territories, culminating in the battle of the ID cards.
x”
&
Palestinians under occupation
achieved a partial victory on July 22nd,
when 200,000 West Bank students
returned to elementary schools and
high school graduating classes, follow-
ing a seven-month closure. On August
2nd, 70,000 more went back to school
with the reopening of junior highs. On
August 30th, 10th and 1lith grade
classes were finally resumed, but
universities and other insitutes of
higher learning remain closed.
Reopening the schools has been a
persistent demand of the intifada as
highlighted by the United National
Leadership’s call for a day of fasting by
Palestinians all over the world (children
exempted) on July 19th, to stress this
demand, as well as protesting expul-
sions and the detention conditions at
Ansar III.
Having lost four months of the
1987-88 academic year, and all but a
month of the current one, it was a top
priority for students to resume their
education. However, occupation troops
continue to be stationed in the vicinity
of schools, contrary to the promises of
the civil administration. The soldiers’
ongoing provocations against students,
and the intermittent closing of some
schools, are signs that the occupation
authorities are hoping for any excuse to
close the schools again - and for good.
Thus, international vigilance should
not slack off in monitoring this basic
field of human rights.
In call no. 43, the United National
Leadership stressed: «... the occupation
authorities decided to reopen schools as
an unavoidable result of the persistence
of the intifada which gathers increasing
international sympathy for its con-
frontation of the enemy’s policy of en-
forcing ignorance against our people
for more than two years in particular.
4
We call on both students and teachers
to condense the curriculum to make up
for what has been lost... We call on all
to continue the popular education pro-
gram to make up for gaps in the regular
schooling. All international
humanitarian and academic institutions
are asked to put pressure on the oc-
cupation authorities and oblige them to
reopen the universities and higher in-
stitutes.»
«TRANSFER,
STARVATION...
GENOCIDE»
The partial reopening of the schools
stands out as the single Israeli conces-
sion to date. On all other counts, the
intifada is facing a critical juncture,
politically and physically. There are
few on the international scene who
would claim that Shamir’s plan is a
peace offer commensurate to the
PLO’s. Still, there is a rea] danger that
the US’s promotion of Shamir’s plan
will serve to divert fron meaningful
steps towards peace, gi‘ing Israel time
and leeway to try once again to beat
down the intifada.
The Zionist leadership’s sense of
urgency about doing away with the in-
tifada has only been increased in the
‘recent period due to a whole array of
factors, including the internal effects
on Israel itself: declining morale in the
army, the resurgence of economic pro-
blems as reflected in rising unemploy-
ment, and discontent among settlers
due to the army’s alleged inability to
protect them. Behind these factors
looms the simple fact that over a year
of brutal repression has not dented the
intifada’s momentum. On the contrary,
in addition to ongoing popular
organization and recurring demonstra-
tions, there are signs of increasing
militancy and radicalization. From
May on, there were increased instances
of attacking Israelis with knives and
firearms, as well as abductions. This
led to the death of several soldiers and
settlers, and had a noticeable impact on
the settler society at large. Perhaps
most shocking was the implication of
Starvation * chicken farm destroyed by the occupation forces
Democratic Palestine, October 1989
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