Israeli gov’t Whitewater scandal clamps down; protests rock shakes White House territories BY GREG ROSENBERG As the Israeli government poured Capitalist rulers send warning to Clinton troops into the occupied territories and continued 24-hour curfews over much of BY NAOMI CRAINE the Gaza Strip and West Bank, Palestinian The Clinton administration was be­ fury over the Hebron massacre and sub­ sieged by new allegations in the sequent military repression continued. As Whitewater inquiry in early March of March 8, die Palestinian death toll with the subpoena of 10 White House from the slaughter at the Cave of the Pa­ and Treasury Department officials and triarchs and subsequent army attacks was the forced resignation of White House no fewer than 74. attorney Bernard Nussbaum. Tel Aviv and Washington are seeking The affair centers around the busi­ a rapid return to negotiations with the ness dealings of U.S. president Bill Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton The PLO, however, has suspended talks with a failed savings and loan; attempts on last year’s accord with the Israeli gov­ to conceal and possibly shred docu­ ernment. If ever implemented, the agree­ ments related to the case; the inade­ ment would allow for limited Palestinian quate investigation of the death of self-rule in Gaza and the West Bank city Nussbaum’s assistant, Vincent Foster; of Jericho. The PLO leadership, which and meetings between White House has seen popular support for the accord staff and the agency charged with in­ plummet to new lows following Israeli vestigating the case. As the scandal un­ settler Baruch Goldstein’s murderous at­ folds, it also lays bare the web of inter­ tack on the mosque, insists that the phys­ meshing business, political, and per­ ical safety of Palestinians be guaranteed sonal ties that make up the Clinton ad­ before talks resume. ministration. The Israeli regime is cracking down on In October the Resolution Trust the territories with huge troop deployments. Corp., a Treasury Department agency “Most of the Gaza Strip remains under cur­ charged with investigating failed few,” said Palestinian journalist Ziad Abbas thrifts, referred the case of Madison in a March 8 telephone interview from Beth­ Guaranty Savings and Loan to the Jus­ lehem. “About 120,000 people are under tice Department, naming the Clintons curfew in Hebron. It is forbidden for anyone as possible beneficiaries of illegal ac­ Hillary Clinton, left, and Bill Clinton’s dealings are at center of scandal. from Gaza or the West Bank to enter Israel tions by Madison’s owner, James Mc­ — for work, to go to the hospital, for any Dougal. The Clintons shared ownership of More than a week before the case went to in the March 4 Washington Post. “How can reason.” Whitewater Development Corp., which had the Justice Department, Treasury Depart­ administration lawyers not respect that pro­ On March 7, Israeli troops shot two Pal­ its account at Madison, with McDougal in the ment counsel Jean Hanson met with Nuss­ hibition?” estinian youths dead in the territories and 1980s. baum to inform him of the impending inves­ Ten officials who took part in these wounded 18 people, including Associated tigation. At least two other meetings took meetings, including Nussbaum and Han­ Press photographer John Gaps. Gaps said he Meetings to discuss investigation place between White House and Treasury son, were subpoenaed March 4 to testify was shot from 100 yards away by an army Among other misdeeds, there is evidence Department officials to discuss the White­ for a grand jury convened by special coun­ sniper. that tens of thousands of dollars from Madi­ water inquiry, a probable violation of federal sel Robert Fiske. The Clinton administra­ The Zionist regime also sent warplanes to son were diverted to pay Clinton’s debts from ethics regulations that puts the impartiality tion had hoped Fiske’s appointment in bomb areas of southern Lebanon on March his 1984 campaign for Arkansas governor. of the investigation in serious doubt. January to investigate Madison, Whitewa­ 8, following attacks by Hezbollah guerrillas Madison went belly up in 1989 at a cost of “Criminal referrals are restricted and ter, and the related cover up would help on Israeli-backed Lebanese militias that $60 million in federal deposit insurance. privileged information,” noted an editorial Continued on Page 6 Continued on Page 12 Solidarity convoy crosses border with aid for Cuba BY JERRY FREIWIRTH Canadian subsidiary no longer sells insulin LAREDO, Texas — To the cheers of car­ to Cuba and Heinz has stopped selling baby avan drivers and supporters, nearly 70 food. trucks, buses, and cars loaded to the brim Despite some petty harassment by U.S. with humanitarian aid crossed the U.S.- customs officials, the U.S. government Mexico border here March 9 on its way to clearly made a decision to allow the bulk of Cuba. the vehicles and aid across the border. Ear­ The U.S.-Cuba Friendshipment caravan lier, caravan drivers and material aid had vehicles, covered with signs and artwork successfully crossed the Canadian border demanding an end to the U.S. economic into Detroit; Blaine, Washington; and Swan- embargo of Cuba, converged on Laredo af­ ton, Vermont. ter traveling 13 different routes through At one point early in the Laredo crossing, Canada and the United States. The caravan government agents unloaded a donated stopped at more than 100 cities and towns ambulance filled with thousands of dollars to participate in local events and to collect worth of medicine. As TV cameras zoomed aid from students, workers, church groups, in on the aid, customs officials confiscated and others. a quantity of medicines used to treat children The U.S. government has enforced a trade suffering from cancer. Suddenly — appar­ embargo against Cuba for more than 30 ently realizing they were creating a public years in an attempt to crush the socialist relations disaster — these same officials re­ revolution there. In recent years, the U.S. treated. The cancer medicine was returned Congress has passed new legislation further and the ambulance reloaded and allowed to tightening the embargo, including regula­ cross the border to chants of “Cuba si, tions forbidding subsidiaries of U.S. corpo­ Bloqueo no!" rations from trading with Cuba. Angela Marino joined the caravan along Lisa Valenti, a caravan activist from Pitts­ with five other students from Evergreen burgh, explained for example that Eli Lilly’s Continued on Page 8 Peasants protest in Paraguay plans to pump in another $ 1.8 billion Some 300 peasants barricaded a central on additional capacity and add 6,000 highway 125 miles northeast of Asunción, jobs to its payroll. The Big Three — Paraguay’s capital, at the end of February. Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors Peasants demonstrated in other parts of the — are focusing on adding third country as well. The farmers were demand­ shifts, working overtime, and keep­ ing a boost in the price they are paid for their ing open some plants scheduled to cotton crop and the right to sell their prod­ close, but have no plans to build new ucts in Brazil. The police fired rubber bullets factories. and tear gas at protesters, injuring dozens and arresting more than 50. The demonstra­ More part-time professors tions began a week after the violent eviction According to a recent study by the of 250 families from the property of former U.S. Education Department, 58 per­ president Bias Riquelme in Colonia Na­ cent of college teachers now are vidad. part-time or temporary instructors. Part-time faculty members earn a U.S.-Canada salmon talks end fraction of the salary of permanent Pacific Salmon Treaty talks between employees, receive no benefits, and Washington and Ottawa broke down March often must shuttle from school to 4. The agreement, which was signed in 1985 school to eke out a living. and expired last year, regulates how fisher­ In addition, the American Associ­ men from the United States and Canada ation of University Professors re­ share access to salmon stock that migrate ports that between 1975 and 1985, across international borders. “The negotiat­ the number of male part-time faculty ing process between Canada and the U.S. is rose 10.3 percent, while the number at an all-time low,” said Bob Wright, a ne­ of female part-time faculty rose 54 gotiator for the Canadian government. Un­ percent. less something is done to break the logjam, Baku moves on oil deal Canada and the United States will end up in Haiti Progrès a fish war this summer, endangering salmon Heydar Aliev, president of Azer­ Thousands demonstrated March 5 in front of the United Nations to demand return to stocks and possibly fishing some runs to baijan, has agreed to restart negotia­ power of Haiti’s exiled president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide was inside meeting with extinction, he said. tions with a seven-member consor­ UN secretary general Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Aristide rejected a U.S.-supported plan that According to the New York Times, 13 of tium of oil companies, which in­ would have left much of the rightist-backed Haitian military and police in place. the 17 principal fishing zones in the world clude British Petroleum, Statoil, face severely depleted stock and the decline Penzoil, Amoco, and Ramco. The oil in salmon in the Pacific Northwest is already companies are seeking rights to ex­ “catastrophic.” ploit the multi-billion-dollar oil reserves in threatened to begin a formal strike March 7 ment meeting in Moscow March 4. The plan the Caspian Sea. Aliev placed the Azeri State in the state of LowerSaxony.