Letters from Palestinian Students Letters we have received from Students in Palestine, giving a flavour of what is happening inside the West Bank.
Letters from an Israeli Marxist He gives his interpretation of the situation, together with an account of how Jews have been patrolling Arab neighbourhoods to defend the Arabs against possible attacks from right-wing Jewish reactionaries. There is also an appeal from an Israeli activist who has suffered beatings at the hands of the Israeli police.
Middle East - On the brink of the abyss The scenes of massacre and mayhem in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank have aroused general indignation and condemnation throughout the world. Almost one hundred people - almost all of them Palestinians - have so far been killed by the Israeli army of occupation.
After withdrawal from Lebanon crisis in Israel After 22 years of the military occupation of South Lebanon, Israel's withdrawal marks an important change in the situation. Fred Weston looks at the history of Israel's occupation, the current state of the "peace process" and outlines an internationalist way forward.
Middle East "Peace" Process - "Days of Rage" Once again, the Middle East "peace process" hangs by a thread. The recent riots and gun battles throughout the West Bank and Gaza, which left hundreds wounded and a number dead, reveal the enormous frustration at the results of the "peace process" and the failure to end years of Israeli occupation.
Iranian elections: Last chance for the "reformers" The Iranian elections on February 18th 2000 returned a massive majority for the so-called "reformers" around the president Mohammed Khatami in the new Majlis (Parliament). This article looks at the results of the elections and reports the growing movement of the workers.
Middle East in turmoil The election of Ehud Barak as Israel's new prime minister was heralded as a new breakthrough aimed at ending "the 100 year conflict" in the Middle East. Barak promised to withdraw from Lebanon in 15 months and honour the Wye river agreement by October. However the situation simply marks a new stage in the conflict between Zionism and imperialism and the Arab masses.
The First Shots of the Iranian Revolution The mass demonstrations and riots in Iran are the first shots of the Iranian revolution. This article points out the importance of these events, underlines the decissive role of the workers and explains the need to link democratic demands with a socialist programme.
The arrest of Ocalan and the plight of the Kurdish people Workers around the world must support the struggle of the Kurdish people against the oppression they suffer at the hands of the Turkish and other regimes in the region. However, it is not sufficient to simply support the cause of the Kurdish people. It is also necessary to explain what lies behind the oppression of the Kurds and show a concrete way out of the impasse they are facing. The arrest of Abdullah Ocalan the leader of the PKK (Workers Party of Kurdistan) in 1999, brought the oppression of the Kurdish people to the attention of the whole world. The Kurds are once again at the centre of attention with the tragic events unfolding in Kobane. Here we...
The Real Reasons for the Imperialist Bombing of Iraq The US and Britain, using the pretext of the Iraqi obstruction of the UNSCOM inspectors, have now mercilessly bombed Iraq once more. In February 1998 we published a statement called "Imperialist Bullying and the Crisis in the Middle East" in which we explained the real reasons for the imperialist aggression against Iraq. Events since have confirmed completely our analysis.
Imperialist Bullying and the Crisis in the Middle East US and British imperialism are preparing their war and propaganda machines for a bombing of Iraq. This article exposes the real reasons behind the threat of force and all the lies and double standards of imperialism in relation to chemical weapons, UN resolutions and "defence of democracy". It also analyses the possible consequences of an intervention in the fate of the Middle Eastern reactionary regimes.
New Imperialist Aggression in Iraq This article analyses the US intervention in Iraq in August/September 1996 and the Iraqi regime intervention in the struggle between different fractions in the Iraqi Kurdistan.
[Ted Grant] The Colonial Revolution and Civil War in South Yemen 50 years ago on this day, after four years of revolutionary struggle against British colonialism, what was later known as the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen was born. This event, which is consciously hidden by the bourgeoisie today, marked one of the peaks in the revolutionary wave that swept through the Middle East in the post-war period.
The Iranian Revolution The hated regime of the Shah was overthrown by a workers' revolution in Iran in 1979. This article was written by Ted Grant in that same year. We are republishing it because we believe it is essential reading for any active worker or youth who wishes to understand both how the Shah was toppled by the masses and how, unfortunately, the revolution was hijacked by the fundamentalist mullahs.
[Ted Grant] Lebanon clash bares De Gaulle-Churchill aims In 1943 a revolt of the Lebanese erupted against French imperialism. While oppressing their own colonies, the British cynically supported the Lebanese as a means of weakening De Gaulle and French imperialism. De Gaulle drowned the rebellion in blood refusing to accept the position of puppet of Anglo-American imperialism. Thus the British and French imperialists competed for spheres of influence while Arab blood spilled onto the streets.
