The Other Israel Newsletter of the Israeli Council for Israeli - Palestinian Peace November-December 1987 No 28/29* Editors: Adam Keller P.O.B. 956 Tel-Aviv, Israel 61008 Editorial Board: Uri Avnery, Matti Peled, Yaakov Phone: (03) 659474 Arnon,Haim Bar’am, Yael Lotan, Yossi Amitai FROM AMMAN TO GAZA On November 8, the leaders of the In recent weeks, public attention and two other Palestinians were shot Arab states met in Amman, capital centered, in particular, on the Gaza to death. The official statement of Jordan. The summit’s most impor- Strip - an area which provides an claimed that the Palestinians were tant result was a definite warming up extreme example of the Palestinian “killed while trying to escape”; of the Arab world’s relations with plight. It is a narrow strip of land, detailed research by Israeli journa- Egypt. This was expressed in a hemmed in between Israel and lists exposed contradictions in the resolution permitting Arab states to Egypt, between the desert and the government’s line, pointing to the renew their diplomatic relations sea. In 1948 hundreds of thousands possibility that they were shot down with Cairo, broken off after Camp of refugees, uprooted from their in cold blood (Koteret Rashit, David. By November 19, the tenth homes in what became the State of October 14, 1987). anniversary of President Sadat’s Israel, were added to Gaza’s original Another incident occurred a week memorable visit to Israel, many population. Due also to a high birth- later, on October 8. As described in Arab states have already taken rate, the Gaza Strip became the the official communique, Israeli advantage of this possibility. world’s most densely populated security forces have encountered a The renewal of diplomatic ties area, a concentration of poverty and suspicious car on a Gaza street; constitutes a de-facto recognition of misery. Since being occupied by there ensued a battle in which were the Israeli-Egyptian peace; coun- Israel in 1967, the Gaza Strip turned killed two escaped prisoners, one tries like Jordan, Iraq and Saudi into a reservoir of cheap labor for other Palestinian, and an Israeli Arabia have sent their ambassadors the Israeli economy, tens of security service (Shabak) agent. The to Cairo, knowing full well that, in thousands of its inhabitants commu- other Shabak agents then chased a the same city, the Israeli flag flies ting each morning to work in the fourth Palestinian, who - as in the above the Israeli embassy. Israeli cities. previous incident - was “killed while A growing number of the Gaza trying to escape”. Both the outcome of the Amman inhabitants turn, in their misery, to Following these two incidents, summit and Yasser Arafat’s state- Muslim fundamentalism. In the there was a debate among factions in ments at Geneva and Moscow (see 1970s and early 1980s, the Israeli the military government, regarding separate article) clearly show that authorities encouraged this trend, whether or not the dead Palesti- Israel can now achieve peace with hoping that a clash between nians’ homes should be demolished. the Arab world, and in particular religious zealots and secular nation- Such demolitions, decreed by a with the Palestinians; but no lasting nalists will weaken the Palestinian military governor without trial, are a peace is possible as long as Israel cause. But in recent years, the normal procedure against “terror- maintains its military rule over the religious movement grew and its ists”. Some officials argued that in West Bank and the Gaza Strip. members started to carry out attacks this case death was punishment Neither Israel’s existing peace with on Israelis. Belatedly, the Israeli enough, and that demolition of the Egypt, nor any incipient relations army made strong efforts to houses would cause riots. At last, with other Arab states, can long suppress it. The Islamic university of however, the hard-liners won. At the endure while million and a half Gaza was invaded by soldiers; end of October the houses were Palestinians stay under Israeli oc- deportation orders were issued destroyed, leaving the families cupation and while the Palestinian against religious leaders; dozens of homeless. Several days of wide- refugees stay in their camps, with no Muslim activists were rounded up spread rioting did follow. hope for the future. Until due and imprisoned. Despite all this, the Islamic consideration is given to the national In June, six Muslim fundamen- movement continues to spread rights and aspirations of the talists succeeded in escaping from among the Gazans, its members Palestinians, they will remain a focus the Gaza prison, which was rather drawing inspiration from the newly- of discontent and rebellion through- embarrassing for the authorities. On created martyrs. out the Middle East, threatening any October 1, one of the escapees was The situation in the overcrowded status quo which disinherits them. caught at an army check point; he Gaza Strip became exacerbated * Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed that the last issue of The Other Israel was misnumbered; it should have been 27 and not 28, as was mistakenly printed. We apologise to all who felt that they missed something. through the introduction of Israeli These events gave rise to a public settlers; a third of the meager Gaza controversy in Israel; a heated DIALOGUE Strip was declared “State Lands”, set debate took place in the Knesset, aside for the use of present and and in Tel-Aviv’s main street peace AT GENEVA future Jewish settlers. Small in demonstrators had a violent con- numbers, but well organized, armed frontation with racist hoodlams. On September 7, 1987, there and financed by the Israeli govern- opened in the Palais des Nations, at ment, the settlers have set up Taken together, the killing in Gaza Geneva, the fourth conference of vigilante groups. On November 9, and the summit in Amman point out NGO’s (non-governmental organi- settler vigilantes assaulted a demon- the two courses which are open to zations) on the question of stration of schoolgirls at Dir-el- the citizens of Israel: the road of Palestine. This year’s meeting, in Balah, south of Gaza; 17-year old occupation and oppression, leading which thousands of participants Intisar al-Atar was shot dead. The to an endless cycle of fear and hate, from all over the world participated, settlers’ leadership immediately violence and bloodshed - or the was the occasion of a significant started mobilising its considerable renunciation of territorial aggrandi- Israeli-Palestinian dialogue. About political lobby, in order to stop sement, clearing the way for fifty Israelis were present, represent- investigation of the girl’s killing. peaceful coexistence between Israel ting diverse parties, groups and and its neighbors. currents in the Israeli peace The PLP statement on movement. On the Palestinian side, The Editor there were several hundred partici- November 29 pants, drawn from the Palestinian communities scattered over the On November 29, 1987, the executive Middle East and throughout the of the Progressive List for Peace met world, and headed by PLO chairman in the Arab village of Ara (in the P.S. After the above was written, events seemed to underline the Yasser Arafat. Galilee) and adopted the following Arafat’s speech at the beginning of resolut1on: sharpness of the dilemma. On November 26, a single the conference clearly indicated the Palestinian fighter, riding a primi- PLO’s willingness to make peace Forty years ago on this day the tive glider, succeeded in penetrating with Israel, for the first time U.N. General Assembly decided the ground and air defences of explicitly accepting resolutions 242 upon the establishment of two states, Israel’s northern border; he carried and 338 (see box on page 3). a Jewish one and an Arab one, in this out a one-man raid on an Israeli On the same evening, members of land. army camp, and killed six Israeli parliaments from different coun- The state of Israel was created. soldiers before being killed himself. tries, who participated in the The Palestinian state, whose crea- The attack created an atmosphere of conference, met with Arafat. The tion was decided upon as well, did fear and uncertainty along Israel’s participants included members of not yet arise. It left a gaping void; a northern border, where previously the American, Australian, Austrian void which is filled by wars, the inhabitants were led to believe and Canadian parliaments, but the bloodshed, hatred and racism. that the Lebanon War had insured most dramatic effect was created by Therefore, this day was declared to “Peace for the Galilee”. On the other the participation of four members of be the International Day of side of the border, Palestinian the Israeli Knesset: Muhammad Solidarity with the Palestinian refugees tensely prepared for Miary and Matti Peled of the People, and as such it is com- retaliatory air raids. Progressive List for Peace, Charlie memorated by many people around Tension was increased by the cruel Biton and Tawfik Ziad of the the world. Communist-led Democratic Front We say: no peace or quiet are murder of two workers in a Jerusalem supermarket. The police for Peace and Equality. possible, nor will we have any future Arafat’s speech and his meeting in this land, until the Arab immediately announced that “the murder was probably committed by with the Knesset members received Palestinian people is allowed to wide coverage in the Israeli press. exercise its right to self-determina- nationalist Arabs”, and all Arab workers of the supermarket were Israeli journalists, present at Gene- tion and to create its own va, were caught by the spirit of the independent state beside the state of detained, apparently on no other grounds than their nationality.