Democratic Palestine : 1 (ص 22)
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- Democratic Palestine : 1 (ص 22)
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reached new heights on Dec. 14th and
15th, when the giant firepower of the
New Jersey was unleashed on the
mountains.
Generally, the MNF have beefed up
their presence and logistics. In early
November, the US 6th Fleet was
reinforced with 30 new vessels. Later in
the. month, agreement was reached for
the US to use its bases in Turkey for
supply runs to Lebanon and increase its
use of Turkish ports for US warships.
Turkey’s dictators have evidently
decided that any negative repercussions
on trade with Arab countries will be
offset by the $750 million they will
receive from the US in military aid next
year. Britain is also stationing three
warships off the Lebanese coast to back
up its MNF contingent.
Underlying the overt military
aggression, there has been incréased
emphasis on imperialist intelligence
operations. In addition to its air raid on
the Beqaa, Nov. 17th, France is playing a
prominent role in these efforts, relying |
especially on Arabic-speaking African
mercenaries from its former colonies,
who are among the Foreign Legionnaires
in its MNF contingent. Joint French-
Lebanese Army units man checkpoints
along the coastal road in the ‘Greater
Beirut’ area. Moreover, French
intelligence experts have been integrated
into the Lebanese military and political
intelligence branches. The French
takeover of police functions is a back-up
to the US anti-guerrilla campaign. This
year, when ‘Israel’ again made air and sea
attacks a regular feature of life in
Lebanon, with a total of 12 so far, it was
no longer the sole foreign aggressor, but
enjoyed the ‘good company’ of its
imperialist allies.
On the internal scene, the Dec. Ist
assassination of Sheikh Halim
Takieddin, the most prominent Druze
religious leader living in West Beirut,
shows the Lebanese fascists’ intent to
sabotage national reconciliation. Then
came the car bomb in West Beirut on
Dec. 5th, which killed 16 and injured 100
citizens; this was claimed by the Front
for the Liberation of Lebanon from the
Foreigners, notorious as a front for the
Phalangist Party.
However, the Zionist-imperialist
aggression has not gone unchallenged.
The US Marines have drawn fire on
themselves and suffered new casualties.
Most important, the heroic decision and
performance of the Syrian forces to
confront the enemy warplanes, which
resulted in downing two US planes on
December 4th, and an Israeli bomber
and three reconnaissance drones on
other days, show the potential for
thwarting the enemy aggression, if the
Lebanese-Palestinian-Syrian nationalist
alliance is strengthened. @
22
The Occupied South
Having previously closed the Awali
crossings, the Israelis imposed new
restrictions in mid-November,
requiring a special pass for Lebanese
wishing to drive a vehicle into the
occupied South. The result was not
more security for the Zionists, but
further enragement of the Lebanese.
Having traveled to another part of the
country, a citizen had to apply at the
Israeli liaison office in Dbayeh
(fascist-dominated town north of
Beirut) for a visa to drive home. The
other alternative was applying in Saida
before leaving the South. The first day
this procedure was in effect, only
seven of the 200 Lebanese, who lined
up at IDF headquarters in Saida,
received passes. After waiting for
hours, the rest were rudely driven
away by Zionist soldiers who
unleashed police dogs and fired in the
air. The Israelis evidently also found
this arrangement too cumbersome, for
the pass restriction was lifted within a
week for Lebanese. Palestinians still
need a special permit.
Bottlenecking north-south traffic
has disasterous effects. With the
bridges only open nine hours daily,
traffic was cut to about one-third the
normal flow. In early December, the
}
One of the two crossings at the Awali line.
Sealed Off, But Still Resisting
To the extent that the Zionist War Minister may be considering
further partial pull-backs in Lebanon, the reason lies in the
sustained military and mass resistance of the southern population.
Though the occupiers virtually sealed off the South following the
Nov. 3rd explosion in their Sour headquarters, the Lebanese
National Resistance Front (LNRF) has continued operations on a
daily basis. On Nov. 20th, Israeli television reported that there had
been 89 anti-occupation operations since the IDF redeployed along
the Awali River on Sept. 4th, with 35 soldiers killed and 64
wounded. By the end of the year, this was 39 killed in 130 attacks.
mayor of Saida estimated that 70% of
the South’s citrus and banana crop,
normally shipped to Beirut and on to
other Arab countries, was going to
waste or sold at-a loss. The cost of
transporting building materials tripled
due to the prolonged waiting time at
the bridges; thus, construction came to
a halt in the South, as did public works
projects. The 3,000 civil servants living
in Beirut found it difficult to reach
their work in Saida.
Two separate attacks on Israeli
checkpoints at the Awali bridge in
mid-November exemplified the
popular anger at this attempt to isolate
and strangle the South. Even with the
abolishment of the permit, top
security measures still prevail,
clogging traffic and eliciting mass
resistance. On Nov. 23rd, Zionist
soldiers fired in a crowd of people
crossing the bridge on foot, wounding
four Lebanese civilians. The soldiers
then had to beat off the crowd that:
was pelting them with rocks.
Israeli patrols and convoys continue
to be plagued by roadside explosions,
especially in the vicinity of occupied
Saida. The popular support given to
the LNRF was clearly demonstrated
on December 2nd, when freedom - هو جزء من
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