DISCUSSION BULLETIN Volume 3 Number 7 May 2003 $2.50 DISCUSSION Justice for the Palestinians 3 By Socialist Democracy Contribution to discussion about prospects for Socialist Alliance 5 By Socialist Democracy Socialist Alliance—a new workers’ party? 7 By David Silcock (Melbourne North East branch) The Fall of the House of Labor? A position paper for the ISO motions on Labor 9 By Tom Orsag (International Socialist Organisation and Melbourne North East branch) Democratic rights in Cuba 10 By Bryan Sketchley, Melbourne Branch Socialist Alliance international policy—a response to Riki Lane 11 By Chris Slee (Wills branch) A story about decisions, commitments and implementation 11 By Janet Burstall (Central Sydney) For a simpler, more democratic method of electing delegates 13 By Karl Miller (Melbourne North East Branch) DOCUMENTS List of signatories for Open Letter (“Developing the common socialist voice”) 15 at May 6, 2003 RESOLUTIONS AND AMENDMENTS TO RESOLUTIONS FOR THE SECOND NATIONAL CONFERENCE ISO motions for the Second National Conference 16 • The Socialist Alliance – building on our strengths • No to Howard’s war budget – Medicare not missiles • Elections and the Socialist Alliance • Solidarity with the construction unions • Socialist Alliance and the ALP Motion from Non-Aligned Caucus 18 By John van der Velden (Canberra branch and Non-Aligned Caucus) Addendum to seven-point motion from Non-Aligned Caucus 18 By Workers' Liberty Proposal for treating “Towards a comprehensive platform for the Socialist Alliance” 18 By the National Conveners Towards a comprehensive platform for the Socialist Alliance 18 By the Freedom Socialist Party Proposals for improving ‘Rebuilding democratic, militant unionism—Socialist Alliance and 26 the Trade Unions’ By Sue Bolton (Wills branch) Amended Constitutional Amendments 27 By Mark Lockett (Perth Branch) Draft resolution on the invasion of Iraq 29 By the National Conveners [Continues over] 1 Draft resolution on Cuba 29 By Dick Nichols Draft resolution on criteria for new affiliations 30 By the National Conveners Draft resolution on West Papua 30 By Michael Reidie and Frances Evans (Melbourne North East branch) Draft resolution on membership dues system 30 By Tim Gooden and John O'Brien (Geelong branch) Draft resolution on Alliance logo 31 By Tim Gooden and John O'Brien (Geelong branch) 2 DISCUSSION Justice for the Palestinians By Socialist Democracy Socialist Alliance should not simply have a re-run of Judaism? This question is posed not only by Palestinian the debate among western Marxist groups about which nationalist members of the Knesset, but also by the artificial formula—two state or one state—best suits our Israeli left and anti-Zionist religious currents. It is not respective theoretical heritages. Particularly not when simply that Judaism is the established religion of the posed as a symmetrical question of the rights of state, as is Christianity or Islam in many other countries, nationalities. it is that civil law, immigration and social and economic Both “solutions” at the moment seem utopian, for rights are codified in relation to Judaism. though USA, European and Australian imperialist Israel, although one of the most formidable military leaders, Israel, the Palestine Liberation Organisation and powers, (and armaments manufacturers) is dependent on Palestinian Authority leadership and the Arab regimes all the USA for its military survival. This is not to say it is say they support a Palestinian state of some sort, some not to varying degrees autonomous, but in the medium time, on some part of the territory of Palestine, events term, it cannot sustain its territorial integrity, nor its since Sharon’s provocation at the Haram as- illegal occupation of Syrian and Palestinian territories, Sharif/Temple Mount on 28 September 2000, have meant without the funds and weapons supplied by the USA. this realisation is further away than ever. Though Israel has manufacturing, agriculture, info- The starting point for discussion should be the current tech and armaments industries, the product both of north dire situation of the Palestinians: American and European investment and subsidies from • 1.2 million are citizens in the state of Israel, Jewish diaspora communities, (and the super-exploitation without equal democratic, social, and national rights, of Palestinian labour and recently hundreds of thousands and facing continuing expropriation of their land. of Asian and African “guest workers” ), without external • 3.3 million are in the occupied territories, in aid, and in particular, aid from the USA, the economy Gaza and the West Bank and East Jerusalem, would collapse. prevented from travel between towns and cities for Further, with over ten million people in an area 40 per work, education or medical care, and since 2001, two- cent the size of Tasmania, environmental sustainability, thirds of whom are living in absolute poverty. particularly in terms of water, is questionable. A • 400,000 are in Lebanon, excluded from most significant and possibly now dominant sector of the employment and services, and from living outside the Israeli political and academic caste is increasingly camps built after their flight from northern Palestine. obsessed with what it calls the “demographic threat” : of • 3.6 million are in neighbouring Arab countries, the 10 million people living within the current borders of usually more integrated than in Lebanon, but many the state of Israel, half are non-Jews. That leaves few still living in camps, and dependent on international options for maintaining a Jewish state on all or most of aid. the land currently occupied: • • 500,000 are in the diaspora in Australia, the Dramatically increase the Jewish population Americas and Europe. through immigration (Sharon called for a million • 3.8 million Palestinians in the occupied Latin American and South African Jews to migrate in territories or in neighbouring Arab countries remain 2001), induce a higher birth rate among the majority registered refugees and beneficiaries of the UN Relief of Jews, and/or liberalise recognition of conversions; • and Works Agency. Unilateral separation from part of the territories, In contrast, the five million Jewish citizens of Israel increased apartheid, increased inequality of rights can travel freely (even on the Israeli-only highways that between Jews and Palestinians; cut through the West Bank and Gaza), and have an • “ Transfer” of Palestinians out of the Gallilee, average standard of living similar to Australia (with East Jerusalem, West Bank and into Jordan or further rapidly deepening inequality). countries of exile, either by force or by sustaining The events of the past two years, and now the pressure to make life unbearable. invasion of Iraq by the Anglo imperialist powers, have increased the Palestinians’ isolation, and their perception Is an independent Palestinian state that while Israel continues its killings, house demolitions, possible? land expropriations, water theft, destruction of national While all Palestinians want an independent state, the institutions and cultural heritage, the rest of the world— reality of the best of the Oslo process offers was a semi- including the Arab regimes—does not care. The new talk state on perhaps 9 per cent of the total territory of 1921 of a “road-map” to peace with a Palestinian entity “with British Mandate Palestine, in at best 7 non-contiguous elements of sovereignty” , predicated on Palestinian cantons, with minimal access to water, no control over surrender and a second restructuring of the Palestinian international borders, no weapons larger than a rifle, a national institutions by the Central Intelligence Agency security force dependent on the Israelis and Americans, a and Israel. capital only in Abu Dis west of al Quds/ Jerusalem, only token concessions to the return of refugees to Palestinian Is a Jewish state sustainable? territories, no control of immigration, customs, or Israel was constituted in 1948, not with a declaration economy, dependency on Israeli energy and of independence, but with the declaration of a Jewish communications infrastructures, no dismantling or state. But can it be both democratic and defined by 3 disarming of the big settlement blocks that cut the Gaza • For Australia to open its borders to people from the strip and the West Bank into small enclaves… Middle East, including Israelis and Palestinians. The staged process now being dictated by Bush requires the Palestinians to give up their defensive Does the Israeli/Hebrew-speaking struggle before any concessions by the Israeli state, and nationality have rights? to allow the USA to determine who should represent or Some on the left, and some Jewish and Israeli participate in the Palestinian Authority and its elected opponents of the occupation, would see the above parliament, and who should run its security services. demands as negating the national rights of what would Any resulting dependent Palestinian mini-state with become a Jewish minority within the existing borders of however many “campuses” will ensure the conflict what is now the state of Israel. Traditionally Zionists continues. In this situation, Socialist Alliance should have asked why should Jews be the only people without a support a range of demands, based not on symmetry of homeland? Apart from the obvious, which is that there national rights, but on justice: are many peoples (such as Kurds) denied national sovereignty, we need to take note of the difference Immediate demands