IN AN operation involving the Israeli army and navy, led by the Mossad secret service, the Zionist state last week assassinated the PLO military commander, Abu Jihad, in Tunisia. Tobether with the 14 Palestinians murdered by Zionist troops in the West Bank and Gaza in the clashes following the assassination, the Zionists have now slaughtered nearly 200 unarmed Palestinians since the uprising began on 9 December last year.
reflection of the Zionist view, aruculateu preciseiy by Shamir, that the Palestinians should be crushed like grasshoppers'. But it is also a reflection of the increasing disarray of the Zionist forces. Convinced by its own propaganda that the uprising is simply a tew trouble directed by the PLO, the Zionist state resorts to terrorist actions aimed at eliminating the 'ringleaders'. However, the murders, the countless beatings and maimings, the curtews the deportations simply serve to fuel the flames of revolt and unite Palestinians and other Arabs in ever larger nunoers.
The assassination, for its intended effect crushing the uprising, has provoked some of the most violent clashes in the occupied territories and led to 100,000 Palestinians joining a 3-day strike called by the PLO inside the Israeli state. antena. tionally it has provoked MOves towards Arab unity with Syria's Assad making overtures to re-establish links with the PLO and even Egypt condemning the criminal action' of the Zionists.
Palestinian deaths have resulted not only from actions of the troops but also those of the 'settlers' or armed colonisers, to give them a more accurate name. The recent incident in Beita, where an Israeli woman vocative tour a the 'tour' Palestinian village by the colonisers, gave an ironic twist to their activities. In the confrontation with unarmed Palestinians, it was the colonisers' own bullets which killed the woman. Of course, this did not stop the army from imposing a curtew on the village, rounding up the men in the town square, demolishing the homes of suspects and deporting six men to south Lebanon.
The uprising has struck the Israeli economy directly through the successful boycotts of israeli goods and mass resignations OI Palestinian workers from the menial jobs that Israelis will not do. In the Gaza strip nearly all of the 400 Arab Doncener nave resouca effectively ending the 'rule of law there. Those who have in the past collaborated with the Zionists such as Hafez Toukan, the Israeli Mayor Nablus, have started to resign their positions or flee into hiding Apart rom the murders the Palestinians have suffered over 4,000 arrests, 20 deportations thousands of casualties. Yet the revolt continues to gather force. Its persistence can de explained by its. mass, popular character and the high level of self-organisation displayed, particularly by a new generation of Palestinian youth. While the United Leadership of the Uprising (ULU) directs the central initiatives such as the 'days of struggle, the driv. ing force of the uprising remains the local committees. Against this form of popular participation the repressive apparatus of ing increasingly ineffec tive. This is reflected in the indiscriminate mass arrests deportations which simply result in the emergence of organisers and committees. the impotence of the much vaunted Israeli internal secret service, Shin Bet, was underlined when its announcement that leaders of the ULU esponsible for issuing th 1 leaflets directing the in iTiatives na peer roundca was promptly followThe outrage in Tunisia and the daily Zionist attacks on the Palestinians have helped to litt the democratic veneer from SLaLC L CBS reporte Nablus systematically beating up two bound Palestinian youths for 40 minutes, and then breaking their arms. As a result of the international andemnation this tim pro voked, the Israeli state was forced to arrest the soldiers. The soldiers' defence centred on the simple truth that they were carrying out orders from the government. The most shocking aspect of this incident for many supporters of the israe state, i ho erete was the reaction Zionists, such as Yuval Ne'eman of the Tehiya Party, who campaigned for the release of the soldiers and tougher ac tion against the Palestinians!
The Zionists WCIC quick to learn the lessons. of this incident, however. The occupied territorie are now regularly turned into closed military zones ana une worlds press is cr cluded, to allow Zionist LIOOOS ovelale unhindered by considerations of 'human rights. Arab newspapers news agencies have also been saul dowu Despite this, news of ne repression contnue o leak out. The Zionist have laid siege to entire villages and camps, denying them food and basic medical supplies in an effort to starve the Palestinians into SUMISSION That peculiarly Zionist system of instant 'justice', the 5 homes, has also suspects homes been resurrected. Even the normally sedate Vatican was moved to compare the activities of the Zionists with the Nazis treatment of Jews.
The heroic resistance of the Palestinians needs soldaril and financial aid is vital to ont une enrecis orart curfews. In Britain the rights united campaign around the most pressing questions: raising funds and organising solidarity actions around the demands of immediate and unconditional Lionist withdrawal, the holding of free elections in the West Bank and Gaza with full right for the PLO to participate. • In the Israeli state Arab and Jewish activists including the Sons of the Village movement and the Revolutionary Com. munist League Israeli state section of the Fourth have established Committees to Fight the Occupation. They have undertaken to channel funds to the popular committees in the occupied territories. They Remy Mendelzweig, Sport St, 34575, Haifa or Marcello Weksler, Post Box 26163, Tel Aviv.