Palestinians during night operation near Jordan PEACE or war? The question everyonc was asking about the Middle East he the tune 177 was out We woo t provide an easy answer here. Much of the left has too quickly dismissed the possibility that the Israeli-Egyprian could lead smashing of the Palestinian movement and the consolidation of capitalist rule in the area.
Al the beginning of the year Egyplcan President Sadat looked the most anlikely superstar. In January tens of thousands of workers demonstrated against food price rises, forcing the This was a massive turnaround only movement in Lebanon and it looked Infitah, an coonomic opening 1o DeOBASTO, nad manitescy tauco and the upsurge of the masses was bound to scare off those fes investors who had been foolish crough to bank on Egypt's future.
Al first the new right-wing Israck leader Menachem Begin Jooked as unlikely to negoliate with the Arabs as Sadat was to survive. Bur that left out to the the other variable in the equation: the enthusiasm of the Carter administratmaintain the Zionist state and sabilise the newly rich One thing is clear: such a solution will not work until is finally -ind liquidated. But chat is not completely suled our, The Palestinians have been effectively disarmed since cbe Syrian invasion of Lebanon, and the military protection of the newly 'rejectionist" im- Sytian regime can give them little hope. The Tripolt pact of anti-Egypt Arab states can offer the Arab masses bothing, even it it survives longer than Israci certainly sees chat arined confrontation will be necessary to inipose its solution. Even as Sadar was annalem braeli jets were bombing South Lebanese villages. Still, it is a long way from knowing what needs to be done to actually doing it. Many orber people have tried to smash the Palestinians. and they are still there Arab bourgeois The Iranian dictatorship finished 1923 iD true form, arresting some the Palestinian 12,000 oppositionists in a few brutal physically days of murder and renewed repressTion. No doubt Carter's human rights policy has the Shah trembling in his boots. But the year has also seen the emergence of open opposition to the Sisab. with numerous the summer acd massive mobilisations towards the end of the year.