The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.61/No.16           April 21, 1997 
 
 
Palestinian Protests Spread In West Bank  

BY BRIAN TAYLOR
Fighting between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli forces has become a daily occurrence in the West Bank. On April 9, thousands poured into the streets of Hebron for the funeral of Nader Isseid, 24, who was shot the day before while protesting the murder of another Palestinian by Zionist settlers. Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the crowed, who hurled back rocks and firebombs in response. "The olive branch is down and the Kalashnikov is raised," demonstrators chanted, according to the Associated Press. Thirty people were reportedly injured in the skirmish.

The spreading resistance by Palestinians over the last three weeks has been touched off by the Israeli government's decision to construct a settlement at Jabal Abu Ghneim. The completion of that settlement would finish a Zionist- controlled ring around Jerusalem, cutting the area off to Palestinians, who view that city as their capital. Washington, concerned over the growing instability in the Middle East, has set about to defuse the explosive situation by meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an effort to reestablish talks between the Israeli regime and Palestinian Authority head Yassir Arafat. This April 7 meeting, however, fell short of the goal, as it became clear that Tel Aviv has no intention of backing off construction of the 6,500-unit Zionist settlement project.

Besides the killings in Hebron, there have been several other cases of Palestinians being murdered by Israeli troops and Zionist thugs. A settler shot two young Palestinians in the village of Kharbata April 7, killing one. The Israeli military claimed that the shooting occurred after the settler's car was stoned. But Jamal Ibrahim, shot in the leg during the attack, said the assailant "passes through the village all the time, even though there is a bypass road [for settlers].... He got out of his van," Ibrahim continued, "and began shooting. He had an M-16 and a handgun he held in his mouth while shooting."

In addition to daily protests, rallies, and skirmishes throughout the West Bank, Palestinian fighters firebombed a truck carrying Israeli soldiers April 2. Some fighters have also carried out suicide bombings inside Israel.

Meanwhile, under the pressure of Palestinian resistance, several Arab heads of state have felt compelled to speak out against Tel Aviv's colonial expansion. The 22-member Arab League announced March 31 their decision to halt moves to establish diplomatic relations with the Zionist regime and renew an economic boycott. The Libyan government has denounced the settlements and is calling for action to counter the construction. Tehran is bringing up claims that diplomats kidnapped in 1982 are in "the prisons of the Zionist regime." In Lebanon, Tel Aviv continues to face stiff resistance from the Hezbollah guerrilla fighters, who are waging a struggle against the Israeli occupation of the southern portion of their country.

There are even grumblings from the Egyptian regime, which has tried to foster better relations with Tel Aviv. The settlement plans are "strengthening those terror groups which had begun to dissolve and encouraging them to unite," stated Gen. Hassan el-Alfi, the Egyptian interior minister. "When the people feel there is injustice ... millions will be provoked."

Netanyahu complained on March 31 that these forces are "ganging up" on him.

The Israeli government confiscated a third of the land to be used for the Zionist housing project from real estate developer David Mir, who is now trying to sell the land back to Arabs. "I have the solution: cancel the confiscation," Mir said, explaining that the land is still technically his, since he has yet to receive any payment. "I want to develop in peace with our neighbors." He will be undergoing Supreme Court hearings on his claim.

But Interior Minister Eli Souisa said Mir "has nothing to sell. It [the land] belongs to the state."

An op-ed piece by Stephen Cohen in the April 7 New York Times, entitled "Give Peace a Push," called on the U.S. government to intervene and stabilize the situation. "Without the leadership of an American President, Middle East states will resort to war or terror," Cohen declared.

The Clinton administration is pushing for what it calls "short-term confidence-builders," like opening the airport in Gaza so Palestinians don't have to go to Israel to travel abroad, granting more passes to work in Israel, and building some new housing for Palestinians. In exchange, Arafat is to keep the Palestinian cops on top of the resistance. This approach has yielded very little up to now. Despite attempts by the Palestinian Authority police to hold back some of the protests, the struggle is spreading.

Washington has vetoed attempts to condemn the Israeli settlements at the United Nations. This makes more difficult and potentially more volatile any initiatives by Washington in the Middle East.

Arafat was quoted by AP as saying, "The Israeli aggressive measures and acts, its tight security measures, and the military mobilization imposed on the Palestinian lands are equal to a declaration of war." He was talking to a conference of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Netanyahu accused Arafat of giving the "green light" for the deployment of bomb martyrs.

Meanwhile, the class struggle within Palestinian territory continues to bubble. Thousands of teachers in Nablus, Jenin, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Ramallah struck April 6, in the first major work stoppage faced by the Palestinian Authority. Strikers were demanding a doubling of their salaries. Currently, the average teacher's pay covers just over 50 percent of the average family's living expenses. The Palestinian Authority, after a year of protests and smaller strikes, offered teachers a 10 percent increase in wages.

Just a day prior to the strike, Education Minister Yasser Amr fired 19 of the organizers of the protests. The next day droves of students protested outside the Ministry of Education demanding Amr's resignation; the firings were rescinded that same day. Amr's argument for the dismissals was that the labor struggle was challenging Arafat's government at a time of severe political crisis.  
 
 
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