'WAR IS NOW the only way to unlock the situation in the Middle East' PLO leader Yasser Arafat last week. His reflected the drift to war in the region — a war which would fought between Israel and Syria.
Without doubt Syria and Israel are making detailed preparations that war - Israel to push forward its plans to progressively dominate whole region, Syria to prevent the expulsion of its army from Lebanon.
Last year's invasion of the Lebanon by Israel was designed to strike a decisive blow at the Palestinians Israel's regulal position. achieve this, the Israelis hope to strengthen their hold on the occupied territories Lebanon into a vassal state.
The subjugation of Lebanon involves the expulsion of the Syrian ar-. my and the whole Palestinian population and the handing over of effective control of the national state apparatus to Christian Phalangists.
The expulsion of the Palestinians from Lebanon is well under way. Following the massacre of the Palestinians at the Sabra and Chatila refugee camps, the remaining have been harassed in every possible way.
The new Lebanon demands that every "foreigner' now pays f1500 for a work permit, which obviously most cannot afford. The plight of many Palestinian whose husbands are either dead, in exie or in the israel concentration camps, is particularly severe. Tens of thousands remain in the concentra. tion camps. Israel is expanding the Jewish population of the territories occupied after the 1967 war at a very rapid rate. These areas are now effectively incorporated into Israel.
said words ding will inexorable domination.
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Traditionally Israeli trade with region consolidate To the refugee turn dan made by Arafat. 'not incompatible'.
Palestinians government women, and at Arafat. In addition, the expanded enclave controlled by the Israeli-backed Haddad militia.
The parcelling of the country into areas controlled by warring factions, with the central government holding sway only in Beirut and the surrounreinforce Israeli Israel is using its military оссираtion to boost its economic penetration of both Lebanon and the surrounding countries. The war has greatly undermined Lebanese industry and com- ing.
country is being flooded with Israeli goods, dumping huge amounts of agricultural produce economic crossroads of the region, Lebanon is being used as a jumping off point for the rest of the Inside the Palestinian movement the repercussions of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the expulsion of the Palestinians are causing a huge debate. In particular the Palestinian fighters in exile and the Palestinians in camps have begun expressing criticisms of Arafat's leadership. Generally the disputes in the Palestinian camp have concerned the negotiating manoeuvres towards JorKing Hussein of Jordan has expressed the view that the 'Reagan region. plan' (which proposes a West Bank statelet for the Palestinians under control of the Jordanians), and the Fez summit (plan which proposes an independent West Bank state), are Many in the movement saw the in. volvement of Hussein in the negotiations as a dangerous drift towards abandoning fundamental Palestinian aims. In particular they saw it as going a long way to accepting some form of association with Jordan rather than an independent Palestinian state — the same time recognising Syria, in order to bolster its own position, has used the Palestinian factions it controls to intervene against the Democratic Popular Front, the Popular Front for less the Liberation of Palestine and Libya have all stepped up their criticisms of of the recent meeting of the Palestinian National Council marked a stepping back by Arafat in the face of this pressuré, re-affirming the necessity of armed struggle and conAs a result of the tensions inside the PLO, Hussein was forced to withdraw from The advanced F-16 fighter — sales to Israel are on again. conIsraeli soldier watches Syrian positions.