Democratic Palestine : 37 (ص 33)
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- Democratic Palestine : 37 (ص 33)
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before being taken to prison. The
roofs of buildings have been turned
into Israeli observation posts where the
soldiers urinate into barrels placed
there to gather water, and the people
are forced to drink this spoiled water
because they are under 24-hour cur-
few. Furthermore, four patriarchs were
prevented by the Israeli authorities
from visiting the town...Why 1s Mos-
cow’s patriarch silent about such prac-
tices? If he lacks information, we must
provide this...
In Jerusalem, a prison has been built
on property which belonged to the
Orthodox Church before 1967, and
was then sold to the Israeli authorities
at a very low price. Today, horrible
things are going on in this prison.
While people pray in the nearby
church, they can hear the cries of pris-
oners being tortured. In the square
opposite, mothers of detainees gather
in hopes of catching a glimpse of their
sons as they are moved to other pris-
ons. Soviet religious leaders should
have a clear-cut stand on these mat-
ters.
We must continue to demand the
withdrawal of the Israeli troops, and
the recognition of Palestinian rights. In
addition, we must ask for urgent mea-
sures to stop the practices of the
armed Zionist settler gangs who are far
worse than Israeli soldiers. Unfortu-
nately, we find some Jews of Soviet
origin among these criminals. We call
on the UN and other international
organizations to demand the
immediate withdrawal of the Israeli
troops, at least from the Palestinian
population centers. We must also
demand an end to deportations. So
far, sixty Palestinians have been expel-
led, including activists and educators
such as Professor Taysir Arouri, a
graduate of Moscow University, who
was handcuffed and kicked onto an
Air France plane in a manner that led
the pilots to protest strongly. Why
doesn’t the dean of Moscow University
invite Professor Arouri to Moscow?
As a journalist, I call for ending
oppression against my Palestinian col-
leagues, like closing newspapers,
expelling journalists, such as Akram
Democratic Palestine, February 1990
Haniyeh, and the closure of the press
center directed by Faisal Husseini who
has been frequently arrested.
Moreover, some western journalists
have been subjected to ill treatment by
the Israelis. I propose that the Soviet
television send a team to the occupied
territories, but they should not conduct
their work under the auspices of the
Israeli military. On the contrary, they
should ask the assistance of the legiti-
mate, local Arab (Palestinian) organi-
zations. Some Soviet reportage of the
intifada has been unbalanced, though I
cannot say it was completely aligned to
Israel. Filming the intifada through the
opening of Israeli armored vehicles
should not be the preferred job of
Soviet journalists.
In my opinion, when the Middle
East question is discussed by the
Soviet public, the Palestinian cause
should not be mixed with the Soviet
Union’s internal and external affairs. It
is no secret that the problem of the
nationalities has intensified in the
Soviet Union. There is debate in vari-
ous publications and among the public,
including (a revival of) the old «west-
ern Russianism» and other tendencies,
and this is an unhealthy atmosphere. It
is not correct, in this debate, to mix
the Palestinian issue with the Jewish
question and Jewish culture in the
Soviet Union. Of course, the latter
issues should be discussed but not
necessarily parallel to the Palestinian
cause.
I am very happy to hear that the
idea of forming an Arab front to sup-
port the intifada is now being discussed
in the Arab world. Such a front would
refute the pretexts given by some
Soviet citizens, like: «Why all this fuss
about the Palestinians - don’t we have
enough problems of our own? Why
should we support the Palestinians
more than the Arabs themselves do?»
When the Arab community forms a
unified front to support the intifada,
this would pressure the Arab govern-
ments and, in turn, the United States.
In this case, there would be more
reason for increasing the activities of
those who defend the Palestinian cause
in the Soviet Union.
Concerning relations with Israel
Most Sovieis I have spoken with
share my view about resuming full dip-
lomatic relations with Israel at this
time. They consider this premature
and unjustified while the heroic Pales-
tinian intifada is escalating, and the
Israeli authorities are increasing their
crimes against unarmed civilians, as
well as their raids and other terrorist
acts against Lebanon. Resuming rela-
tions in this situation cannot be jus-
tified in the Arab world or by millions
of Soviet citizens. At the very least, it
must be preceded by a halt to the
criminal Israeli practices in_ the
occupied territories and specific mea-
sures towards the withdrawal of Israeli
troops from the West Bank and Gaza
Strip, or repositioning them. In this
regard, it would be positive if negotia-
tions were to begin between the
Israelis and the Palestinians who have
relations with the PLO, and who
defend the Palestinian people’s
lnterests and national rights.
Some Soviets argue that the absence
of relations with Israel is unnatural,
but we should not forget that it was
not Moscow’s fault that these relations
were severed. It was the Israeli policies
that led to a situation whereby nor-
malizing Soviet-Israeli relations
became impossible in the absence of a
settlement for the Middle East prob-
lem. Moreover, Shamir’s government
continues to sabotage the
efforts...
I want to stress the importance of
the Arabs and the Palestinians
developing «popular diplomacy» which
would proceed alongside the efforts of
the Arabs’ faithful friends in the Soviet
Union, in order to make a positive
impact on public opinion and obliter-
ate previous mistaken views about the
reality of the Middle East. In this
respect, I cannot but agree with the
words of the Soviet Supreme Council
in welcoming PLO Chairman Yasir
Arafat: «Today we are very confident
that the intifada has become a highly
influential element in the region and
internationally. It has led to increasing
the wave of sympathy and support for
the Palestinian people the world over.» @
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