TIS NOW exactly ten years since the Arab-Israeli War of June 1967, the event that led to the emergence of the Palestinian resistance movement as a major factor in Arab politics, and which resulted in the growth of solidarity with the Palestinians on an International scale. The 1967 defeat of the conventional Arab armies by Israci weakened the Arab states and thereby enabled the Palestinian resistance movement to become a significant force in the Middle East; although the movement has undergone many trials in the past decade, the right of the Palestinians to self-determination and their existence as an oppressed people are now almost universally recognised.
This aniversary therefore makes it an especially appropriate time to re examine the and the relation of this experience to the recent debate on Zionism and racism amongst British stodents. It it my conviction that while Zionism and the state of Israel are in a definite sense " "racist" the equation of Zionism with racism and the denial of a platform la Zionists are erroneous. PALESTINIAN SOLIDARITY Support for the Palestinian struggles resta on two hasie arguments. The fint is thi the Palestininos are an identifiable people who have suffered an extreme form of colonial oppresion - cxpulsion from their lands. Zioniats have tried, and continue to try, to deny this, cither by refuring to admit hat the Palestinians exis, or by caim Abandoned But it ba indispotable that the establish ment of the sale of Israel led to a mas of the ingenios putin morig digenous populatio vo out of throt million Palestinia now denled the right to return to, and live in, their homeland Fron this it follows that the Palestinians have the right to struggle, both poltically and militarily. Everyone knows chat some Palestinians have adopted unjustified, di versionary lactics in their struggle. Bus thi does mot contradict their basic right, as an DOTESCE bas exerted a strong , influenoe internacionNorte eran del thed sin and and on most Palestinians has also necesitased a critique of Zionism. The basic teners of this critique are well established and can be summarisec a follows Fintly, Zionism — the ideology of • movement aiming to set up a Jewish state in Palestine — is inescapably linked to the oppression of the indigenous population Palestinians, and Zionis ideologist either advocaled this explicitly, or tried to obscure the issue by claiming thai Palestine vas an capty countr vocabulary.
La feature inconsistent nech atented socialis corre socialism.
griculture — the kibbutzim — is a tir part of the whole; the Israeli economy is a capitallar one Israel's very existence as an economic and military entity is dependent individuais in the capitalist world, and specially the USA Thirdy, anti-Zionism is not equivalent N ani semitism. The defenders of Zionism alvays try to confuse the insue, but while anti-somatism is a racist ideology directed aganst Jews. because they are Jews, and-Zionism is directed againat the oppres sion of the Palestinian people, and far from being racist is inself a form of anti-racism.
BEYOND NATIONALISM The emphasis of much solidarity work Ing the almost tatal support for Israel that has existed internationally since was estabased w 1945 Hot the thre arguments listed above de not form. on their owil, an adequate basis for a socialist and internationalst position on the Arab Israeli question.
Support for the Palestinians by socialisis elsewhere connot mercly take the form of reproducing outside the Middle Bast the arguments presented there, since the lacter STONECTES COF NOVIOLS reasons, determined by the predominabuy nationalist context in which the Palestinian question la understood. There ano further aspects of the question which must also be placed at the centre of any solidaris work by: socialiss Cnza0ed On Chis 1550C 800 which combine with the above points to forar an internationalist position. They car 1. Zionism derives a great deal of its support by remipding people of the of six million Jeas under Nazism. Zionism acongly uses this gencicide as a justification Up to second and nature of this problem. for the oppression of the Palestinians, Har ir la, on the other hand, the height of political idiocy and callousness to ignore che fact that this penocide ocurred, and le the stale senore tec memores Feelings of solidaricy with the Jewish people and Tewish calcure that have resulted On che left, there is the added fact that formed an intras part of anti fascin solidarity Some of the arguments used in attacks on Zionism have laken problem; and the fact that some of the most vigarous altacks on Jewish tradicions and historical foelings have corte from anti-Zinnists who are themaselves Jews has • Anti-semitisa is not fust a phenomer ae of the past, and continues to Mourish averily in counteles like the Soviet Union and Poland, Uruguay Albough Jews are objects of racism in Britain, attitudes of a thinly veiled sind are sill munder anti-Jewish character that distinguishable political positions that are based on partial formulae. The fight against Zionism must be a principled one and take a political form appropriate to the history Jewish trengthen sheir cas no aplice nation. This has its and Argentina longer the main makeit any theless a nation anti-semitic even European One may do Ener a nation only TICO stale. sentise -le stillof a pernicious kind.
These engaged in solidaricy with the Palestinians must be especially alert to this henarenon, both becniase it is in asel racist and hecause the continuation of anti-semitism acrs ar a continued argument in favour of Zionism. One need only relleer oa how Zienists have used discrimination against Jess in the Soviet Unión to . Zionism argued that the Jews form eparate nation with che right to Palescine. Socialists opposod this. Bur while has produced a new nation. the Israci)
own. Innguage. culture and class atrucrure. While it is true thet the sraeli nation canse inco existence throug eppressing che Palestinians, this does no Nor is it necurate to claim tbar the Israelis cannot form a nation sioce they have han formed bronch immicration: al nations are historical products, not eiernal Tomen oda inmigraton, la ti e and many nations SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 14 July 1977 013 valid reason for denying nationhood to the Israelis, ome mould have to do the same to the Cuhans the Acicticans, the sustral: aris, the Argentinians and a scote of ochers.
For may not wish that it had bappened, but the fuet of Isracli nation ad is now indisputable diversas pre ley to It is ar tinis that the reite different supporters of the Palestiniar movement. For, if the Israclis are a narion, which Lenin emphasised is that of all nation: - the nigh to self-determination and a separate state? The answer can only De: Yes The Israel do have the right to a separate state, but they do not have the right to exercise chis at THE COCIE DELIC LOSUMES The distribution of available territory and population must be such as to allow boch lo cxorcise their rights.
Zionison denies char the Palestinians are оГ sparale statehood; the de-Zionisation of Israel there stalehood and the removal of the octier oppressive fealures of Israeli society that Ton. De lonso dos so equit De-Zionisarion doss not equal th denial of Israeli nationhood.
The question chen arisos whether it is Inevitable that two sintes should come into existence, or whether it is nos possible ta create a anified entity - a bi-national state 'secular democratic Palestinians call for. Il may be that the latler kind of solution is more destrable, ns is n unired socialist Middle Fast', But it is posible to advocate these in principled manner if, at the same time, it is clear Chat cach nation has the right to choose whether to enter such entities or onc ZIONISM AND RACISM This issue of the existence of an Israeli matlan and of it menis. 1 cola to an internationalist position of solidarity will the Palestinian people, since it determine whether the position adopied is funda mentally & nationabst or sociaEst one. And, in conjunction with the other arguments co relates directly to the recent dispute ou Zionism and racism.
In essence. the denial of a platform to Zionists results from a combination of the EN General Assembly resolution of 1975 equating Zionisin with raciams is a formm of racism and racial diserimina of fighting the Nacional Front in Britain by preventing it from speaking.
The question that first arises is: ls Zionism racist? It is racist because it suppresses the exisence and rights of Palestinias. and because an undeniable clement of Zionis ideologs is that the Palestinlans inferior (when not non-existent). Zionism's racism is also evident in the discriminatory legislacion and praccices of the state ol Israel, which distinguisbes between people an elso hasis of their elanie origin Jcasn non Jewish) aud nor on the basis of whether tbey come from within the territory of that But to state this is not to accept the UN mag key much broader ideology chan Just anti Palestininn racism, and il is a polemical simplificacion to reduce it to racism or a form of racison the LN Resolution forms no asis for fighting Zionim in any socialist manner, since it tails — es borh the Zionists and the Arah nationalises do —to make any the ather. Any crisique of Zionism principie resolution is wrong, li is wrong because, i!
Zionism is an ideology with racist clements country organisations. The way to fight il, and wir Moroover, the ban on Jewisli societies is an act which ignores the fact that these societies are involved in a wide range of which is explicit acking for Israel. On this basis, coe woul ave to ban every Labour and Conservativ Club in the country, since tbey 1oo are Linked to organisations that sustain state cbat have racist features (ibe Hritish) ans enforce racist logislation.
One need hardly add tbat in taccical terms спонівно медин societies are strengiben sempathy for Israel and Zionsenad of solidarity into political position that ace based on partial formulae. Th right aguinst Zionisot must be a principied one nod rake a political form appropriate lo the hiscory and nature of this problem.
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SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 14 July 1977 p15
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