The resignation of Golda Meir, and the probability of fresh elections in Israel, highlights the crisis of a society which has become increasingly demoralised since the war last October.
It is also a disappointment both for Henry Kissinger and President Sadat of Egypt, who require a period of political stability in Israel if there is to be a disenga gement agreement on the Golan Heights and further progress at the Geneva talks.
HAMMER BLOW
The significanice of the "Yon Kippur* war was not simply that it shattered the myth of Israeli invincibility, and modified the local balance of forces in favour of the Arab ruling groups. Just as important was its impact on the traditional values and assumptions which had guided Israeli thinking and behaviour for 25 years.
The near-unanimity of Israel society was shattered by this hammer blow, and enormous tensions have been opened up which threaten to topple the sandcastle that is the Jewish State.
RECRIMINATIONS
The resignation of the Governof an official report on the conduct of the war, which called for the will-break-their-bones David Blazar)
Government from criticism, but recriminations still continued against Golda Meir and her Defence Minister, Moshe Dayan.
Prospects for a settlement between Israel and the Arab regimes were further woakened list Thursday by the raid carried out by the Popular Front for the Most criticism centred on the a pre-emptive attack on the Arib ariies.
The Government claims that, although it knew the attack was coning, it made a "political" decision TOT TO CERER MSSU CAH NaC1 could not be accused of aggression. But this explanation is completely at odds with one of the fundamental tenets of Israeli strategy - atlack 1s the best form of defence--and the deep-rooted 'activist" bias in Israeli thinking.
A more likley explanation is that the supposedly infailible Israeli intelligence apparatus simply failed to understand what the Arabs were planning. This is not surprising, given the hasic premises of that apparatus and Zionism's racinlist contempt for the Arahs. Alter all, it was generally believed that the Arabs wouldn't dare attack, and that il they did they would be casily RIGHTWARD SWING The resulting shock of the war gave a powerful impetus lo the rightward swing within Isracli society. Some concessions will of course have to be made in response to the changed priorities of the United States, ment was preceded by the publication but the "hard line' approach has been strengthened, and the rightist Likud bloc can be expected to make further resignation of the Chief of Staff ("We- gains in the next elections.
However, such progress on the uncertainty, distrust of the traditionally dominant forces within Isracil society (the Zionist Labour bureaucracy), and the disintegration of old Liberation of Palestine (General Com mandi on the isracl townshp or sayar Shmoneh, in which 16 Isrseli civilians BUNT STOIE BEYG The raid wes undoubtedly designed precisely with the sim of forestalling any such settlement, and, more specifically. to prevent the Palestine Liberation Organisation from taking part in the Geneve talks.
The response of the Israeli regime was predictable. Not for the first time, Dayan ardorod mamoth reprisals against Cutremn L HiAnOn Ca0NU1O He DostrUc tion of 80 houses in 16 vitlages. He allegiances, than of political confidGovernment's decision not to launch ence in Likud's demagogy.
of Zionist bureaucrats and apparatchniks is thus now at its lowest ebb. Israel's new herocs are the rightist generais-particularly Arik Sharon, who led the Israeli attack on the West Bank of the Suez Canal.
Sharon is a plain lalker, and his populist attacks on 'the Establishlarge sections of the population who fear a US-imposed 'sell-out to the Arabs, He would like to steer Israc! away from exclusive dependence on US imperialism by giving more emphasis to the development of Israel's own armaments industry.
Defance Minister Moshe Dayan, who is known to favour 2 'Govirnment of National Unity" including the rightiet Licud bloc, When doves" demanded his resignation, he in tuen proposed that the entire Government resign.
WARRING FACTIONS In this situation, the coalition further warned that unless the Lebanese Government took stepe to curti the Todayin", the whole of southern Leban on would be turned into an uninhsbitable ghost arsa.
In tsrael, the affact of the PFLP IGC) operation has been to intensity the dis array symbolised by the resignation of Golda Meir, There is widespread feeling that the Labanese have not been sufficiently punished for Kiryat Shimoneh, and the only benaficiary of the affair is likely O DE nE LINua DoG. Wu StIe BIU! of raliglous mysticiem and frenaied chauvinism.
The Iraqi regime is heavily armed ho the Soviet Union, and cad bo assurcd of the cosrinued political sappurt of the Iragi Comununst Party, In recont years the Irayi State bas leant on the Sorice Union in order to oxtract concessions from Arserican imperatism. The CP. grabefal for small mercios, bas in turn provided it with a ansful left vover.
Thus the Conuuunist P'arty backs The popularity of the 'old guard' cliques. ment' have met a ready tesponse from tailings scene. which Meir bad so painstakingly cobbled together over a period of more than two months after the last elections rapidly split once more into warring factions and rival The Labour Party "doves" demanded Dayan's resignation, while he in turn proposed that the entire Government resign (Dayan advocates a "Government of National Unity which would include the rightist Likud bloc). Dayan's supporters within the Labour Party threatened to vote apainst the Government if he was made a scapegoat tor collective This political circus was accompanied by a swelling tide or protest from the press and public. Captuin Motti Askenazi, who began a one-man campaign for Dayan's resignation two months ago, and later extended it to include Meir as well, was recently able to draw 5,000 people to a protest rally.
Furthermore, the economic
effects of the war (forced loans and rising prices) have severely cur living standards and provoked a sharp rise in working class discontent. The oriental-Jewish Black Panthers have aiso reappeared on the political GOLAN HEIGHTS Io the midst of this drama, Israeli and Syrian forces continue to battle it out on the Golan Heights. The mood of the Syrian population, enthused by the putcome of the October war, and highly critical of the ceasetire, explains the continual skirmishing on the Syrian-Israel border, This burst of military activity will, Syrian President Assad All those opposed to the diplomatic farce in Geneva, the sole purpose of which is to consolidate the rotten, reectionary status que in the Arab Exst, cannot fail to understand the frustrations which lond Palestinian militants to CITE REEE CI THEEISE SUC SH ERIS However, none of this makes the PFLP (GC)'s nationalist-terrorist-orion tation worthy of support. Indeed, such statements about Israeli Jews as 'vou tace a choice: dithor to co or to din'included in leaflats distributed during the raid-ate unambiguousty racist, and should be condumnned as such by ali challenging, the ideology of Arab national im (the idology of the Jocal ruting classes!, the Arab Left will be cresting new opportunities for itself, and patting ibsell in a bettee position to breach the wall of classles 'boly unity" sai painstakingly arealed try Salat of Eaypt and-Assad of, FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF IRAO TROOPS FROM KURIISTAN: END ALE SOVIET MILITARY AID TO SELF DETERMINATION FOR THE hopes, be enough to allow him to settle with apparent honour.
The Syrians will expect ao israeli commitment to withdruw trom the Golan Heights as the price for calling off their mini-war of attrition. But che Israclis will almost certuinly tefuse to give up this area (which they have extensively colonised since 1967). Golda Meir recently referred to it as an "indivisible" part of Isräel, while the Likud will jump on the latest Syrian offensive to condemn any proposals for an Israeli withdrawal as suicidal folly.
The chances of a Syrian-Israeli agreement therefore soom racher slender, If the israell Right makes inajor gains in the coming elections, the best-laid plans of mice and men (not to mention imperialist diplomuts) may well go wrong If Syria were to become embroiled in another full-scale war, Sadat would have little choice but to joine in. lest he would be exposed to charges of treachery which would upset his regime's new-found stability. His Foreign Minister's warning on Monday that in such a situation Egypt "would not stand aside' was intended to drive the point home to US imperialism and persuade it to restrain its Isracti allies.
Certainly any new outbreak of fighting would pur paid at onoe to the disengagement ugreement and the plan to to-open the Suez Canal It Jooks as if Dr Kissinger's 'peace in cur Lime pluns, designed to stabilise imperialist domination in the Arab Fast, may well land in the duscbin of history before the year is out supportars of the Palestinian strugale Any such strategy, which fails to distinguish between the Zionist State and the Israsli-Jewish people, can only serve to bolster chauvinism in both the Arah countrias and Israel, It can thus only set beck tha chances of building a revolutionary alliance besed on the working people of the entire area, which by dismantling the Zionist State structure can alone open the way to a fust and H оо SOsUT nOt ONY DF TI!
Palestinian problem, but also of tha many other problems of the Arab East.
Soviet and Crech disidenta, together with the Hertrand Russell Peace Foundation, repression in the Soriet Union and Fast era Europe, In a statement issued last week, they call for, "warld-wide participation by socialists, connonisti, democratic and huma nitarian organisations and individuala in theee days of protests ahour the repressen of civil liberties in socialist countries.
"The first of these we proposs to designate Grigorenko Day, which will be
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and several other senior officers. This part of the clerical-chauvinist wing specifically exempted members of the of Zionism is more an expression of
Appeal for Grigorenko Day