Democratic Palestine : 38 (ص 3)
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- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 38 (ص 3)
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The Uprising, United, Will Never
by Itimad Musa
Palestinians recently celebrated sev-
eral important achievements of the
intifada, as resistance to the occupation
continued to escalate. The occupation
authorities responded predictably, kil-
ling at least 40 Palestinians and wounding
and arresting hundreds in the first three
months of 1990. But most importantly,
Palestinian unity held firm in the face of
ongoing Zionist attempts to drive a
wedge between the nationalist forces.
The force of the intifada made itself
felt in the Knesset in an historic way when
the so-called national unity government
of Israel collapsed in mid-March(see arti-
cle in this issue). Amid finger-pointing
and mud-slinging, superficial explana-
tions suggested that the cause of the gov-
ernment’s demise was its inability to
respond to the Baker proposals. This
analysis ignores the root cause of the col-
lapse: the two-year-old Palestinian upnis-
ing in the occupied territories. This is the
first time in history that concerted Pales-
tinian action has brought down an Israeli
government.
Another breakthrough for the-
Palestinian struggle came from abroad
when the European Parliament recom-
mended in mid-January to freeze scien-
tific cooperation with Israel until the
authorities reopen Palestinian univer-
sities shut since the beginning of the
intifada. In addition to the freeze on
funds worth $10 million, the European
Commission(EC) indefinitely postponed
two European-Israeli seminars on
economic and scientific cooperation(As-
sociated Press, February 19th). Even
though the sanctions aren’t binding until
adopted by the EC’s ministerial commit-
tee, the move was apparently enough to
prompt the Israeli authorities to at least
start reopening on an individual basis the
16 Palestinian community colleges and
vocational schools in the occupied ter-
ritories. Although all Palestinian univer-
sities and many high schools remain
closed, this measure shows the effect that
even mild international sanctions can
have on the Israeli government’s policies
in the territories; one can only speculate
Democratic Palestine, March-April 1990
Be Defeated
as to the effect sweeping sanctions would
have.
The EC also issued a strongly
worded statement in February condemn-
ing Israel’s building of settlements in the
occupied territories. Many European
and world leaders have expressed oppos-
ition to.new settlements in the territories,
especially during the recent influx of
thousands of Soviet Jewish immigrants to
Israel. Even British Prime Minister Mar-
garet Thatcher has joined the chorus of
international voices opposing Jewish set-
tlements in Israeli-occupied Palestinian
land. In an interview with a Kuwaiti
newspaper in April, Thatcher called
settling Soviet Jews in the occupied ter-
ritories, including East Jerusalem,
illegal(Associated Press, April 3rd). In
the United Nations, many Arab and non-
Arab countries have protested Jewish
settlements in the territories, but a Sec-
urity Council resolution has yet to be pas-
sed on the issue.
Amnesty International, in a report
published January 3rd, strongly criti-
cized Israel’s open-fire policy, asserting
that the authorities are «effectively
condoning, perhaps even encouraging,
extrajudicial executions...»
Settler activity was heightened
during Easter week in the Christian
quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem
when 150 Jewish settlers occupied a
four-building complex of the Greek
Orthodox Church. Israeli police fired
tear gas at clergymen and other Pales-
tinians protesting the building’s occu-
pation.
The settlers alleged they bought
the complex. Apparently they would
stop at nothing, including shady legal
maneuvers, to establish their «right» to
colonize the Old City. Their lawyers
failed to inform the judge who granted
their request for a stay of the eviction
notice that a fellow judge had turned
down a separate request just hours
earlier. Consequently, a Jerusalem
District Court panel overturned the
stay of eviction notice, accusing the
settlers’ lawyers of «an improper use of
procedures, to say the least.» It also
took the unusual step of assessing the
lawyers for the settlers’ court costs of
$5,000, apparently for attempting to
thwart the Israeli legal system(Asso-
ciated Press, April 18th). As we go to
press, it is still unclear, though, when
the settlers will actually be evicted
from, their would-be settlement.
The settlers’ move was particularly
provocative coming as it did during a
Christian holiday. It has brought inter- - هو جزء من
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