e Mideast: Revolution
or Genocide?
By KEN RICHARDS
BRUTAL conflict in t h e
Middle East continually poses
the possibility of turning into a
full-fledged genocidal bloodbath,
and, ultimately, a third world war.
Since the rise of the Zionist state
less than 26 years ago, the region
has witnessed four outbreaks of
full-scale combat, interspersed with
tense interludes of sabre-rattling
and chauvinistic exhortations to
holy war by the various. ruling
classes of the area.
The Middle East situation proves
but again Leon Trotsky's s t a t e-
ment: in this era of decaying capi-
talism, the choice confronting hu-
manity is, very simply, socialism
or barbarism.
The Zionist solution to the geno-
cidal anti-Semitism afflicting Euro-
pean Jewry was to create the Is-
raeli state, founded on a Jewish
version of the same racialist ideol-
ogy as Nazism, complete with its
own doctrine of Lebensraum.
Only by driving the Palestinians
off their land through indiscrimin-
ate terror (as with the Deir Yassin
massacre) and by expropriating
the land of the Palestinians w h o
fled the battlefields of the 1948
war did they fulfill their dreams of
a "Jewish homeland."
The Zionist regime today main-
tains that "homeland" through
such props as the "Law of Re-
turn," which they claim entitles
any and all Jews to automatic Is-
raeli citizenship - a law which
should in fact apply not to world
Jewry but to the Palestinians who
were driven from their homes.
war and in 1967) called for a pol-
icy of revolutionary defeatism tin
both sides. They recognize that
the existing Arab regimes - t h e
Sadats, Faisals, Quaddafis, and
Husseins - are interested neither
nd Israeli Defense Min-
in fighting imperialism nor in lib-
erating the Palestinian masses.
The only way to defeat imper-
ialism is through a social revolu-
tion which overthrows the native
capitalist ruling class of each coun-
try.
ALTHOUGH THE Arab capitalist
regimes may accept aid from one
or another imperialism power, or
from the Soviet Union or China,
they are still tied to the world im-
perialist system.
Thus, both Israel and Jordan are
direct clients of U.S. imperialism
though they are on opposing sides
of the conflict. And the various im-
perialist powers (e.g., Western Eur-
ope and Japan took either a neu-
tral or pro-Arab stance in the war),
recognizing far more correctly than
those ostensibly socialist groups
that this is no struggle against im-
perialism, have arrayed themselv-
es on both sides.
In the last war, the Egyptians
and Syrians did not even make a
pretense of fighting for the Pales-
tinians' right of national self-dete--
mination and called instead simply
for a return to the 1967 boundaries.
This is not surprising. Hussein s
army massacred nearly ten thous-
and Palestinians, many of them un-
armed refugees, during the 1970-71
civil war. And it was Sadat of
Egypt who then negotiated the
surrender of the Palestinian com-
mandos whereby they were forced
to disarm, disband, and move out
of their bases on the East Bang.
The military defeat of Israel,
today as in 1967, would mean for
the Palestinian people nothing but
the replacement of one national op-
pressor by another.
THE ONLY genuine national lib-
eration struggle against Israel,
one that revolutionary sorialis-s
could support, would be an uprising
of the Palestinian masses them-
selves. Yet the Palestinian popula-
tion, isolated and atomized, lacks
the social power which aerues even
to a numerically small worxing
class because of its strategic re-
lationship to the means o° produc-
tion under capitalism. Suca an
uprising could hardly succeed un-
less linked to an international
movement among workers in the
neighboring territories. Thus, the
SL/RCY does not mindlessly en-
thuse over the futile acts of in-
dividual terrorists or the suicidal
guerrilla strategy of "peoples
war," no matter how courageous
these fighters may be.
Only the working class - Arab
and Hebrew alike - can overcome
the endless cycle of war, oppres-
sion, and revenge througi united
class struggle and creati:n of the
proletarian vanguard party, a uni-
fied multi-national party.
Basing itself on the Trotskyist
program of permanent revolution,
such a party would champion the
A TEARFUL RUSSIAN immigrant is reunited with rela-
tives through a gap in the barrier as she waits to go
through customs. Under Israeli law, she, like all Jews,
will automatically become a citizen. Unfortunately, no
such law exists for the Palestinians.
k £i* n Dai
Eighty-three years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104 News Phone: 764-0552
Jordan's King Hussein as
ister Moshe Dayan
DESPITE THE reactionary foun-
dations of the Israeli state, a He-
brew-speaking nation has in fact
#been created, possessing legiti-
mate national rights. Just as the
Palestinians must not Ie made to
pay for the tragedy of European
fascism by their extinction as a na-
tion, so the Hebrew workers and
peasants must not be made to pay
for the sins of the Meirs and Day-
ans, the Zionist "Old Guard" which
has ruled Israel.
The only resolution to the con-
flicting national claims of the
Palestinians and Hebrews is a bi-
national workers' state as part of
a socialist federation of the Middle
East.
The Spartacist League and t h e
Revolutionary Communist Youth
(SL/RCY) (both in the most recent
rights of all national groups -
Hebrews ;and Arabs, as well as
South Sudanese blacks and Kurds.
It would thereby aocquire the poli-
tical authority to cut thr)iigh the
years of manipulated cha: :rism
and accumulated mistrust; to ad-
dress the Arab and Hebrew work-
ers and unite them in a common
struggle against their real enem-
ies, their capitalist rulers.
THE SL/RCY is committed lo
the goal of constructing revolutixn-
ary vanguard parties, here and ;n
every country: sections of a re-
born, Trotskyist, Fourth Interna-
tional - world party of socialist
revolution.
The SL/RCY is sponsoring a pub-
lic forum on this topic, "N e a r
East - Proletarian Revolution or
National Genocide" with speaker
David Eastman, in Room 4203 of
the Michigan Union, at 7:30 p.m.
tonight.
Ken Richards is a member of the
Spartacist League! Revolutionary
Communist Youth.
THE CONTINUAL STRUGGLE for peace in the Mideast has been
the focus of countless Security Council sessions. Here, Lebanon's
Najati Kabbani, left foreground, and Jacob Doron, center, of Israel
listen as Saudi Arabia's Jacob Baroody, gesturing, speaks at a
session requested by both Israel and Lebanon.
.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1974
SGC: Arrogance clouds hope
HRP battles party platform
THE EVENTS of Thursday night's Stu-
dent Government Council meeting
are among the most disgraceful ever
seen on this campus at any time. The un-
easy mood of racial discontent which
has been a spectre all year long raised its
ugly head once again, providing drama-
tic evidence that racial antagonism still
exists on campus.
It's easy to understand the root of such
racial feelings. The tactics used by some
members of Council have been calculat-
ingly offensive.
In particular, SGC member Mat Hoff-
man's obstructionist tendencies have
raised the ire of the black constituents
who have been taking an active part in
trying to determine Council's priorities.
The earnestness and the hope of their
efforts towards revitalizing Council are
submarined when Council members con-
tinually parade their arrogance in the
face of constituents.
Editorial Staff
DANIEL BIDDLE
Editor in chief
JUDY RUSKIN and REBECCA WARNER
Managing Editors
SUE STEPRENSON.................Feature Editor
MARNIE HEYN . ............. . .Editorial Director
CINDY HILL....................-Executive Editor
KENNETH FINK ......................Arts Editor
TONY SCHWARTZ..................Sunday Editor
MARTIN PORTER................. Sunday Editor
Eating lettuce in front of the UFW rep-
resentatives who came before Council to
ask more money in their dignified and
just struggle was a totally uncalled for
slap at sincere people. It's difficult to
remain unemotional in the face of such
blatant insult.
Hoffman is playing a very dangerous
game with such acts. He dares people
to disagree violently with him, and he
may soon succeed. Emotionally charged
atmospheres call for reason and tact, not
a flaunting of elitist status.
BUT WHEN Student Government Coun-
cil degenerates to near violence, the
real losers, as usual, are the students.
Resorts to physical action only further
serves to awaken the dignity and credi-
bility of a body already accorded virtual-
ly no respect by the students.
And of course in the end Council too
will suffer. Events of this ilk are in-
stant fodder for those who wish to dis-
solve Council. Henry Johnson's Commis-
sion on Student Governance can certain-
ly point to such incidents as evidence of
Council's unworthiness to exist.
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Dan Biddle, Mike Duweck, Jim
Fraley, Chip Sinclair, Becky Warner
Editorial Page: Cindy Hill, Sue Wilhelm
Arts Page: Ken Fink, Jeff Sorensen
Photo Technician: Karen Kasmuski
*$
COI-UtvNBA, 9/$
By DWIGHT PELZ
"fODAY AND tomorrow the Ann Arbor
Human Rights Party will be holding its
annual platform convention. The purpose
of the convention is to update the HRP
platform in light of recent local develop-
ments and current radical perspectives on
America's social problems.
The HRP platform contains an analysis of
national and local problems, viewed
through a socialist perspective. We share
an understanding that the solution to Amer-
ica's injustices requires the elimination of
a social order geared to increasing profi.s
for the few.
At the same time, the Human Rig'ts
Party understands that America will not
be changed by a handful of radicals roam-
ing about prophesying about the upcoming
day of Socialist Reckoning. Specific actions
must be taken on the local level, both to im-
prove our lives, and to illustrate the trie
intentions of our political and econorni
leaders.
THE HRP PLATFORM contains b o t h
discussion of the effects of the uneven dis-
tribution of wealth, and concrete proposals
to challenge this inequality in such areas as
housing, transportation, and child care.
The Democrats and Republicans write
platforms that try to appeal to many diver-
gent groups by saying as little of substance
as possible. This approach turns a political
platform into a deceptive tool rather than
a statement of belief.
Our platform is not designed to appeal
to everyone. The Human Rights P a r t y
makes no attempt to represent both the ten-
ant and landlord, both the worker and boss,
both the exploited and the exploiter. The
basis of our politics is commitment, not
consensus.
Unlike the Democrat and Republican
parties, the HRP takes its platform serious-
ly. It is not merely a vacuous umbrella do-
cument wheeled out conveniently at elec-
tion times. Our platform is a meaningf1l
statement of aims and interests that plays
an ongoing role in the political life of the
party.
THE PLATFORM convention takes plac2
every year prior to the spring eleacions
to insure that the platform remains an op-
timal expression of the political thinking of
HRP's membership. It is designed to give
a wide range of HRP supporters through-
wit the city the opportunity to have mean-
ingful innut in determining the positions the
party will t-ke in the upcoming election.
HRP candidates are pledged to support
this democratically determined )Iijformn
both in their campaign positions andA their
votes as elected officials. Between consme -
tions, party mass meetings interpret the
platform as it applies to current issues so
that our elected representatives can speak
and vote not for themselves alone but for
the people they were elected to represent.'
While the HRP considers this close ro
ationship between its representatives and
the party's platform to be one of our strontu
points, it has become the subject of severe
criticism from our Democratic opponents.
Oir candidates are portrayed as mindless
robots who are gagged and bound by the
party platform, while Democratic and Re-
publican candidates are "free to Speak
their minds."
ONE WONDERS WHY two political par-
rhetoric
ties whose rhetoric continuously glorifies
American "democracy" find the idea of re-
presentatives who actually "represent" so
abhorrent. It is precisely the lack of re-
sponsibility of these two status quo parties
that has allowed the political leadership of
this country to represent the interests of
weaich and power at the expense of the
working and lower classes.
Yes, Democratic and Republican candi-
dates can speak their minds, and looK at
what they say. LBJ and the Democratic
platform assured us in 1964 that Vietnam
would not become an American war. A
short year later, however, the emptiness
of those words became'apparent. And what
have Nixon and the Republicans promised
us, honesty in government and "an open
administration."
Locally Ann Arbor Democrats will tell you
rent control is bad if you live in the Fifth
Ward and good if you live in the First.
Obviously Democratic candidates are not
bound to a meaningful platform.
HRP candidates do not enjoy this "demo-
cratic" freedom to betray. The record of
our two City Council members, Jerry De
Griek and Nancy Wechsfer, shows consist-
ent support for both the party platfcrrn
and dmocratic party decisions.
THE HUMAN RIGHTS PARTY believes
that political institutions should be open
and responsive to people's needs. The struc-
ture of the party reflects that concern, but
we need you, your ideas and your energies.
The convention begins today at 1 p.m. in
Room 126 East Quad.
Come to help us, whether you want to
talk about socialism or the need for a new
city approach to the rape problem.
"EQ LY.
1
Dwight Pelz is
man Rights Party.
a member of the lu-
Letters
To The Daily:
I AM writing in response to Kath-
leen Fojtic's article concerning the
anniversary of the Supreme Court
decision on abortion.. Ms. Fojtic
accuses the Right to Life groups
of blocking legislation that would
allow the teaching of contracep-
tive methods to high school stu-
dents. She blames the Right ;o
Life for Congress dubbing such
legislation permissive. Contrary to
this, the National Right to Life
takes no formal stand on birth
control legislation unless such
measures include abortion as a
birth control method. It is unfor-
tunate that some people are so
indiscriminate to consider abor-
tion as a contraceptive measure.
For when conception has orcurrtd
it is no longer the prevention of
life but the destruction of a human
life already begun.
Similar to Ms. Fojtic's efforts,
the Right to Life is seeking free-
dom for all persons. The Right to
Life especially seeks the freedomn
+r. 1 - - -li -n 'a zin nr
Reader defends Right to Life
to Life is striving to enact legis-
lation which would guarantee the
basic freedom of life for all hu-
man beings. This can only be
achieved through the passage of a
Human Life Amendment o' 'he
Constitution.
On January 22, 1973, the, S-
preme Court irresponsibly and
wrecklessly took away the unborn
child's right to be considered a
human being. Such haphazard de-
humanizing legislation has not been
equaled since the Supreme Court
decided that the black man was
not a person in the Dred Scott
iDecision. It is this permissive
legislation that the Right ta Life
deplores.
It is a tragedy that th , solution
society is willing to provide for
a distressed pregnant woman is
the killing of her unborn child. In-
stead it is imperative that all cf
us provide counseling =nd positive
assistance for both the motner and
child.
-Edward J. Manning
C'rm-.n.,f Wnshteax-,
The first is that Egypt is a
leading "Arab" state. 25 years ago
if you had asked an educated
Egyptian if he were an Arab, he
would have spit in your eye.
Egypt was an ancient civiliza-
tion with its own traditions ante-
dating by centuries the invasion of
Arab barbarians. Arabs were ,,orn-
ed as primitive types, wandering
through the desert with their cam-
els. Egyptians were members of a
historic urban tradition.
According to Myles Copeland,
Nasser's mentor from the CIA, it
was his American advisers who
convinced Nasser that he was an
Arab with the mission of leading
the Arab world. The rationale was
that Nasser could be a stabili-ing
force in the Arab world.
THE SECOND historical irony
is that the current Egyptian claim
to the Sinai Peninsula dates back
to time immemorial.
One should always cast a fishy
eve on historical claim to sovere-
iguty.
does not include the two key pass-
es: Gidi and Mitla. The rest of the
Sinai was part of the Turkish pro-
vince of Hejaz, which was later
incorporated into Saudi Arabia.
Then in 1906, Egypt was granted
-administrative rights to the rest
of Sinai, to a line running rough-
ly along the pre-1967 borders. The
Turks, received from the British
a statement that this "administra-
tive" arrangement did not com-
promise their basic sovereignty,
however.
DURING WORLD WAR I, the
British conquered Turkish Sinai.
After the war it was turned over
to British Egypt. In short, t h e
Egyptians have held title to the
key area of the Sinai for only 55
years. Hardly time immemorial.
So, in effect, when the Egyptians
got Turkish Sinai from the Brit-
ish, they were the receivers of
stolen goods, i.e., from Saudi
Arabia. Moreover, their claim is
based on the legitimization o 'uth-
less British imperialism. They can
hardly claim the whole of Sinai
Meinertzhagen's "Middle E a s t
Diary", published in London in
1959.
-Sanford Levin '75
Feb. S
Orr-ation
To The Daily:
FOLLOWING TWO disappoint-
ing seasons on the hard:ourt, many
Michigan basketball fans, ourselv-
es included, clamored or Johnny
Orr's neck. When he was retained
this year, many of us became irate
at the notion of viewing another
season of dismal basce'ball.
After all, Michigan had lost
many outstanding "individuals".
Suddenly, to our amazement. Mich-
igan has come up with what has to
be the most exciting basketball
team in the Big Ten. Besides be-
ing enjoyable to w.ach, it is a
well-drilled club. Most important-
ly, however, it is a winr.ng ball
club.
Since Johnny absorbed the blame
for last year's debl)i.e, we feel it
is only fair to give Johnny h i s