People's Democracy

ISRAEL has mounted a heinous war on Palestinian territories. Israel has unilaterally aborted all peace talks, reneged on previous agreements, and has publicly announced its refusal to negotiate or deal with the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Israel's army is conducting continuos raids on Palestinian territories killing hundreds of innocent people and arresting indiscriminately. For over half a century, the Palestinians have been denied their elementary fundamental right to a homeland by a gigantic imperialist-led international conspiracy. The recent continuing attacks by Israel have the dangerous potential of irreversibly sabotaging any peace process in the region.

Clearly, Israel seems to be aiming at settling Palestinians in small enclaves surrounded by its own territory like the hated Bantustans created by the despicable Apartheid regime in South Africa to settle the Black community.

That all this is happening with US patronage has become more than obvious when on December 15 it vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution that demanded the immediate cessation of all acts of violence, provocation and destruction, a return to positions prior to September 2000 when the latest violence erupted and to work for a final agreement on all issues. It must be recollected that since May 1990, virtually since the end of the Cold War period, the USA has exercised its veto power on six occasions. All these have been in favour of Israel in resolutions on the Israel-Palestinian dispute. The latest veto was the second this year exercised by the USA against a resolution seeking protection for Palestinian civilians through a monitoring mechanism which Israel strongly opposed.

The Palestinians and the leadership of the PLO are virtually besieged in their territories. Strategic installations are being targetted by Israel. President Yasser Arafat's call for a cease-fire and a halt to suicide attacks by Palestinian groups, welcomed by other Arab nations as an opportunity to resume peace talks, was outrightly rejected by Israel.

The fourteen month-long second intifada (uprising) continues. As a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said, "any people, vulnerable to aggression and assassination can only defend themselves".

It is imperative that world public opinion must assert itself in ensuring that the Palestinians are given their elementary right to a homeland. It is clear that US imperialism and its staunchest ally in the Middle-East, Israel, are seeking to utilise the post-September 11 world situation to deny a whole people their fundamental human right to a homeland. This cannot be allowed.