X-NUPop-Charset: English Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 15:03:22 -0600 (CST) From: "Alan Spector" Sender: spector@calumet.purdue.edu Reply-To: spector@calumet.purdue.edu To: revs@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Re: Nationalism: Enemy of the Working Class Samuel Heilman adds some comments to the discussion on the REVS network about the abuses of power by the PLO. However, I'm not sure what he meant by the comment that : "Looks like Arafat and company are > about to blow it, counting on the world to aim all its scrutiny and > criticism on the Israelis." The point of the article that I forwarded was not to show that the anti-Zionists were violent and should make peace with the Israeli government under the Israeli government's terms, but rather that Arafat and the PLO are operating in COLLUSION with the Israeli government, and that this round of human rights abuses can be put at the doorstep of both the PLO AND the Israeli government. In message Mon, 12 May 1997 10:48:07 -0400 (EDT), Samuel Heilman writes: > I am impressed by Alan Spector's remarks. I would add that the racist > and prejudiced "death sentence" on those selling land to Jews -- recently > carried out on a man whose body was thrown on the side of the road -- > suggests that those of us who oppose violence have work to do with regard > to the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinians had a chance to be the > only Arab democracy in the Middle east. Looks like Arafat and company are > about to blow it, counting on the world to aim all its scrutiny and > criticism on the Israelis. > > Samuel Heilman > > > On Sun, 11 May 1997, Alan Spector wrote: > > >> Those who made criticisms of the PLO from the Left were sometimes >> attacked as sectarian or splitting the struggle. But now it is clear >> that Arafat is mainly interested in carving out a piece of the empire >> that he can command, rather than providing true liberation for the >> masses. This is what ALWAYS happens in so-called national liberation >> struggles. The era of their usefulness as a way to tacticly weaken >> the imperialists is over, if it ever was useful. Now we are in an era >> where nationalism, even the nationalism of the oppressed, leads back >> to capitalism. Those who consider themselves "Marxist" should shed >> their illusions about the usefulness of nationalism---a pro-capitalist >> poison when it is in the working class movement. >> >> Alan Spector >> >> (forwarded message follows) >> ======================================================================= >> Reply-to: mer-L@middleeast.org >> Date: 97-05-08 10:57:40 EDT >> >> M I D - E A S T R E A L I T I E S - http://WWW.MiddleEast.Org >> ******************************************************* >> FEAR & REPRESSION CONTINUE TO ESCALATE FROM ARAFAT'S "PA" >> ******************************************************* >> To receive MER weekly send reply message with words "SEND MER" >> MER@MiddleEast.Org >> ------------------------------- >> >> PALESTINIANS FACE STILL GROWING REPRESSION >> AND INTIMIDATION FROM ARAFAT REGIME URGED >> ON BY US AND ISRAEL >> >> >> MER - 5/6/97 - In recent months what is increasingly an Arafat Police >> Regime essentially collaborating with the Israeli occupation forces >> has taken unprecedented steps to create growing fear and repression >> among Palestinians. >> >> * The books and articles of Edward Said and other leading Palestinian >> writers and political analysts have been banned and confiscated from >> bookstores. Few if any real voices of independent Palestinians are >> ever allowed in Palestinian newspapers or magazines, Arafat having >> brought all of them under his domination and corruption. >> >> * Even internationally-recognized human rights personalities such as >> Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj in Gaza have been arrested and tortured. In El- >> Sarraj's case an attempt was even made to frame him as a drug pusher! >> The result is that quite literally everyone has become extremely >> fearful that should they even speak privately to journalists, or even >> to other Palestinians, the knock could come at their door anytime. >> >> * The recent arrest of the leaders of the Teachers Union for striking >> for higher wages has still further escalated fear among academics and >> intellectuals. With what are essentially PA goons and thugs, along >> with PA car drivers, being paid more than teachers, Arafat is >> distorting the entire Palestinian society to bring it under the >> control of his small corrupt and self-serving clique. >> >> * The "Palestinian Authorities" cooperation with the Israeli Shabak >> and Army in the assassination of Yeyha Ayyash ("The Engineer") and the >> capture or killing of other Hamas activists has created deep fissures >> within Palestinian society and even within Palestinian families. A >> low- grade civil war is underway among Palestinians, acting as a kind >> of social acid eating away at the society's foundations. >> >> * And most recently, just within the past few days, a Palestinian >> lawyer in Gaza has been arrested for the "crime" of submitting an >> article for publication in a Palestinian legal journal criticizing the >> PA and wishing that the Palestinians had legal rights as do the >> Israelis. Referring to the recent Bar-On investigation in Israel, the >> lawyer, Naim Salameh, wrote in the article that he wondered "when we >> will see such examples applied in Palestinian Authority territory." >> It seems Salameh had sent his article to the Gaza Lawyers' Union for >> publication in their quarterly journal and a union lawyer then showed >> the article to the person Arafat has designed "PA Attorney-General, >> Khaled al-Kidra. Al-Kidra then decided to jail Salameh and ordered >> the article not be published. And in a still further outrage Salaman >> will tried in a military court on charges of hampering PA security! >> (Note: Arafat still does not have complete control over the civilian >> courts). >> For additional detailed information about the realities of what is >> known as the "Palestinian Authority" and what we refer to as "the >> Arafat regime" see the numerous MER items from the past year now >> available at http://www.MiddleEast.Org. >> MAB >> >> --------------------------------------5/8/97----------------------- >> >> MID-EAST REALITIES >> For latest information go to: http://www.MiddleEast.Org >> --------------------------------------------------- >> MER may be freely resent via email as long as it is sent complete >> without any editing or changes of any kind. Indeed further email >> distribution is encouraged and appreciated. 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