Growing opposition to the war in Israel
This interview with a member of the militant demonstrations and marches
Revolutionary Communist League (section of the Fourth International in the state of Israel) was done in Paris in September 1982. Question: What has been the attitude of the Arab masses in the Israeli state and the occupied territories during this latest war in Lebanon? Answer: At first, when there was practically no news, and the official propaganda went on a big campaign, people were very concerned with the fate of the Palestinian fighters, their own fate, and they were afraid of repression. But that did not last very long.
Once there began to be news - from radio broadcasts, particularly Radio Montecarlo reporting directly from Beirut - of how courageously the Palestinians were fighting, despite their isolation, that the Israeli army was at a standstill outside Beirut, that compared to past wars they had suffered serious losses, the mood changed radically. The people were proud of the Palestinian fighters, and began to be active. The students were the first to react, with meetings, demonstrations, solidarity activities, marches. Bir Zeit University, the centre of the mobilisations, which had been open for a few months, was closed for the third time this year, but this did not stop the movement. Other layers of the population mobilized in their turn through demonstrations and commercial in the main towns). Demonstrations also took place in the refugee camps. Money was collected, and lots of people gave blood to the Red Cross. All in all several tens of thousands of people took part in the mobilisations.
The mayors on the West Bank published a declaration condemning Israeli aggression and supporting the PLO. They openly criticised the Arab states for their passivity. They also made criticisms of the USSR and the other bureaucratised workers states. I should say that when the mass structures were prevented from functioning by repression the mayors played an important role. For example usually it was they who called for the general strikes. The structures, for example trade unions, could only keep functioning at a local level. Q. What is the situation in the Arab regions of Israel? A. The situation is not different from the occupied territories. The same two stages that I have described took place there as well. In the second stage there was open opposition which was concretised in very
6 against the war, and strong support for the Palestinian resistance. One demonstration of 30,000 people took place on July 31 in Nazareth, it was the most impressive in the whole history of the region. Q. We have had several reports of the movement against Begin-Sharon policies in which wide layers of the Israeli population have participated. What can you tell us about this? A. In the first days there was a very strong wave of chauvinism. Undoubtedly the war had popular support in Israel. But when the news came of the fighting in the existence of strong pockets of resistance in Sidon and Tyre, when it was clear that this was not a few days expedition, not a bad number of people began to question themselves, and the left began to take concrete initiatives.
A Committee against Lebanon was formed with the participation of the Bir Zeit Committee, groups of women against the war and independent personalities. A first demonstration was held on June 12, a thousand people demonstrated in front of the building where Begin has his office. The culmina. ting point of the mobilisations was the big demonstration at Tel Aviv jointly organised by the Committee against the War in Lebanon and the Peace Now movement, which drew about 100,000
The women's groups were very, very active in the three main towns, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa. They came partly from the feminist movement, and partly from the anti-war movement, and included mothers and wives of soldiers. For several weeks every Tuesday at Tel Aviv. These were small gatherings but aimed to ensure the continuity of the movement. Particularly significant was a demonstration of 200 black in Jerusalem, which made a very big impression. Q. Can you tell us something about the opposition to the war within the army? A. At first there were protests, but they were unorganised, and did not go beyond refused to go to Lebanon. One case which caused a stir was that of Ali Geva, an officer who publicly stated that he would not go to Lebanon. He was discharged from the army. His stance provoked quite a lively debate, with opposing positions being taken. Some supported the idea that one had to go into the army, even to Lebanon. Others that one should refuse to enter at all. Still others, including our comrades of the LCR, that one should do military service but refuse to cross the
Soldiers groups were formed. The two most important were: *Soldiers the Silence' , who made a propaganda campaign against the crimes that army committed during the war, and who were close to Peace Now; and a smaller but more militant group who were called "There is a limit for Israel", composed of people who had refused to go into the occupied territories, and accepted the idea of a Palestinian state.
In fact, we can say that a quite large number of soldiers refused to go to Lebanon. Some of them were transferred elsewhere, others were threatened with repression. I do not know if action was in Q. What were the reactions of the workA. There were new things on this field as well. During the previous wars the government was always concerned to get a period of "social peace', and to ensure a mobilisation of the working class as well. This time they did not succeed in getting this. Struggles - economic ones — did not stop, they grew even more. For example, there was a strike in progress in an electricity generating company. It continued after the war broke out. Potassium and phosphate factories near the Dead Sea came out on strike during the war, as did even the employees of the airline El Al.
I'd like to remind you that in other respects the social situation is very serious. Among other reasons because the government has again cut the subsidies that kept down the prices of a whole series of basic commodities. Following that there were price rises of 25 to 30 per cent. At the same time unemployment particularly following closure of a number of small companies.
To return to the attitude of the working class. One cannot say that they participated actively in the struggle against the war. But they made it understood that they were not prepared to pay for a policy which requires periodic wars. But we should emphasise that opposition to the war was expressed, including by demonstrations, among the poorest layers of the Israeli population. Q. We have previously published information on the activity of the LCR. Do you A. I can only confirm that the LCR has been very active in the mobilisation the war, particularly by participation in the Bir Zeit Committee and the Committee against the War in Lebanon. We have also been very active in the Arab sector, participating for example in the big demonstration in Nazareth.
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