The *FREE ARAB VOICE*
July 22, 1998


1) On the Alleged Crisis in the "Peace Process": An alternative  
analysis of the crisis by Naji Alloush, a Palestinian Arab writer and 
thinker, and the General Secretary of the Union of Palestinian Writers 
and Journalists.

2) Announcements: a) A Correction from the Last Issue of FAV, b) Join 
ADC in the South of the United States, c) Subscribe to Arab Journal, d) 
Read Al-Moharer Al-Australi, and e) An Action Alert for Lifting the 
Siege on Iraq: A French Group Pursues the Legal Course.   

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1) Is the "Peace Process" Really Breaking Down?! by Naji Alloush

From the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to the Egyptian 
government, and from the French to the Russian governments, the alleged 
crisis of the "peace process" seems to have become the topic of the 
hour.  But does mean that mere talk can make such a crisis real?

To answer this question, we probably should look first at those 
agonizing the most over this supposed crisis, namely some Arab regimes 
and the leadership of the PLO.  These had found circumstances congenial 
earlier in the nineties for the resolution of the Arab-Zionist conflict 
on the basis of recognizing "Israel's" right to exist within the 
borders of the land occupied in the 1948, in exchange for some form of a
Palestinian entity in the (and not necessarily all of the) West Bank 
and Gaza.

This official Arab trend was counting in this conclusion on the 
following three overarching assumptions:

I- that there is an international front led by the U.S. government 
which supports the establishment of "peace" between Arab governments and 
"Israel".  And now after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the U.S. 
government, the leading superpower, has got what it takes to overcome 
both Arab and Zionist obstacles to such "peace".

II- that an official Arab consensus, including and especially from the 
leadership of the PLO, to recognize "Israel" would set Zionists 
internationally in the political corner, and thus force them to drop 
any reservations about accepting such "peace".  This would be additionally 
true because the "peace" package offered to Zionists does not only 
include recognition, but also opening up Arab hearts, markets, and 
resources to our brothers and sisters from Abraham.

III- that the Arab regimes that participated in operation "Desert 
Storm" 
and the siege on Iraq had all agreed to accept peace, under the 
principle of "Land for Peace".  That position and the particular record 
of those taking it should be enough to support U.S. efforts and to 
allay Zionist fears.

However, as time and events later unfolded, it became increasingly 
obvious that those Arab regimes and Palestinian groups that naively 
adopted anything like the three assumptions above, have regally 
misjudged three elements of the situation:

I- The Reality of the U.S. Government's Role:

The U.S. government is a party to the conflict not a mediator. Its
understanding of the nature of the "peace process" is essentially THE 
SAME as that of Zionists.  Verbally, the U.S. government advocates the 
formula of "land for peace".  Practically, its policy revolves around 
a) enforcing the recognition of "Israel", b) catering to "Israeli" 
interests and security obsessions, and c) securing all the necessary 
Arab and Palestinian concessions to make "Israel" feel safe.

Thus U.S. government here does not simply restrict itself to 
recognizing "Israel's" right to exist, but actively pursues the
implementation of two concomitant strategies: a) refurbishing "Israel"
with all the elements of strength, and b) extricating every possible element
of strength from the hands of the Arabs, and even Muslims.

For example, the strategic partnership between the U.S. government and 
"Israel" GREW after the Gulf war.  Military aid increased both in 
quality and quantity.  On the other hand, pressure on Iraq to eliminate 
its sources of strength increased.  Pressure on Iran is increasing, and 
so is pressure on Syria and Egypt.

Evidently, these overt U.S. policies serve directly to consolidate 
Zionist political gains and to weaken the Arab position.  In spite of 
that, we still encounter some Arab officials who say that they are 
counting on the U.S. government to salvage the "peace process"!

II- Misjudging the Zionist Position:

The governments of Rabin, Perez, or Netanyahu, like the governments of 
Ben Gurion, Eshkol, Golda Meir, and Begin before them, never for a 
second cut out the rhetoric about peace...They entered ALL their wars 
under the political cover of peace slogans.  But what kind of peace was 
that?  The one kind that may have different expressions. It is the kind 
that Yigal Ellon or Perez suggested in the form of a "New Middle East".  
It is the kind that guarantees colonialization without limit, 
possessing the elements of strength without limit, and conquering the
Arab world economically and politically with the tools of violence or 
"peace"...That is Zionist peace! Misjudging the Zionist position, letting
oneself believe that "Israel" can be peaceful, and forgetting THE NATURE of
the Zionist entity all remain totally incomprehensible. Therefore, if there
are some today trying to convince us that this foundering of the "peace process"
is nothing but a problem created by Netanyahu, THEY'RE ONLY FOOLING 
THEMSELVES.  Yigal Ellon, who was from Labor, not the Likud like 
Netanyahu, proposed long ago a project not very different from 
Netanyahu's.  Moreover, neither Perez of the Demonah nuclear reactor
and the operation "Grapes of Wrath" in south Lebanon, nor Rabin, of the
1967 War and the crimes against the children of the Intifadah, ever had any
political project that is intrinsically different from Netanyahu's.

III- Misjudging the Arab Position:

When some Arab regimes got carried away in the "peace process" without 
any real understanding of the U.S. or Zionist position, they also 
lacked an Arab position ON THE GROUND that would guarantee peace.

Realistically speaking, ANY peace, even if its ultimate ambition was 
only the implementation of United Nations resolutions 242 and 338, 
REQUIRES:

a) the existence of a total Arab resistance INSIDE AND OUTSIDE 
   Palestine that would be even more advanced than all forms of Palestinian
   resistance between 1965 and 1998, including the so-called "suicide" 
   operations,

b) the existence of Arab armies READY to do battle on every front, and 
   the preparation for a people's war MORE massive and more protracted 
   than the Vietnamese, and

c) the existence of a UNITED Arab political position, which 
   nevertheless does not bow before Zionist blackmail and U.S.
   government pressures.

As long as these strategic considerations have not been taking into 
account, as long as the PLO has dropped its weapons and the Arab 
governments concerned with the so-called "peace process" DID NOT 
PREPARE FOR IT, and as long as these Arab governments rely instead on U.S. 
government goodwill and Zionist rhetoric, what goes down on the ground 
won't be the "peace process" that the Arab regimes are talking about, 
BUT THE "PEACE PROCESS" THAT THE OTHER SIDE IS TALKING ABOUT.

And the other side, the U.S. government and "Israel"?  THEIR "PEACE 
PROCESS" IS NOT IN ANY CRISIS.  In fact, we have saved the other side 
from its crisis by conceding everything that could possibly lead to it.

That's because the official Arab strategy in "peace' emanated from 
recognizing the right of the enemy to exist AT LEAST on the land 
occupied in 1948 in total security,  and then to committing itself to 
the preservation of that Zionist security.  Moreover, the Arab side 
accepted the U.S government's auspices in "peace", even though the 
latter has been clearly committed to building up "Israel" and 
protecting its security, and has signed an official treaty of strategic
alliance with it. Then to add insult to injury, the Arab side accepted
a) the transformation of the PLO from a resistance movement to a hired
   police force working for and protecting the enemy, and b) the disarmament of
   Iraq and starving its people to death.

The Alleged Crisis is Part of the Show:

Therefore, the other side, U.S.- Zionist side, IS NOT IN A CRISIS, AND 
NEITHER IS ITS "PEACE PROCESS".  On the contrary, the other side has 
achieved more in our region since the Gulf War than it has since WWII. 
So much so that perhaps a decade or so may be needed to absorb it all. 
That's why the other side wants this "peace process" to go forward WITH 
the semblance of its slipping away.  It wants lots of TALK about the 
crisis of the "peace process" to reassure the Arab side while the 
process goes as planned , but only ACCORDING TO "ISRAEL'S" ABILITY FOR 
ABSORPTION, and to sallow land.

So the present crisis is only that of the official Arab side which 
wants a little more out of the "peace process" without trying to possess
those elements of power which improve the conditions of its participation.
In the meantime, the U.S.-Zionist side enforces military, economic, and 
political conditions coercing the Arab governments to march on exactly 
as planned. Eventually, neither those Arabs calling for peace do what 
it takes to accomplish that peace, nor those Arabs calling for war do 
what it takes to make that option feasible.  Consequently, the crisis 
of the Arab regimes in the "peace process" translates into more Zionist 
successes at the expense of the Arab and Palestinian people until 
direct political action on their part allows these temporary successes
to be reversed.

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2) Announcements:

a) Correction: In the last issue of the Free Arab Voice about 
   non-governmental organizations (NGO's), the Peace Corps was erroneously 
   listed as an NGO.  In fact, it is an established branch of the U.S. 
   government even though many of its members are idealistic volunteers. 
   In a way though, this innocuous cover may have been the source of this
   inadvertant mistake, which is SOMETHING TO THINK about when discussing 
   the role of NGO's in third world countries..

b) The ADC Wants *YOU*: The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee
   (ADC) is looking for individuals from the Arab American community and
   all Americans to start and activate its chapters throughout the 
   southern US:
   Tennessee,Kentucky,Louisiana,Alabama,Texas,Kansas,Florida,Georgia
   etc..If you are interested please contact Ghazi el-Assali at:
   g9arl@uno.edu

c) Empower yourself with the truth: SUBSCRIBE TO ARAB JOURNAL
   Arab Journal is not a commercial venture. It dares to speak out against
   oppression, injustice, embargoes, and Zionism. It advocates democracy,
   Arab unity, liberation, and enlightened Islam.

   Contact Ali Bagdadi at P.O.Box:5095 , Woodridge, IL60517
           Phone & Fax: (630) 964-8975
                 Email: arabjournl@aol.com 

d)AL-MOHARER AL-AUSTRALI (http://www.ozemail.com.au/~fouad)
  AL-MOHARER AL-AUSTRALI covers Arab world affairs and Arabic literature
  from Australia and around the world.

  AL-MOHARER AL-AUSTRALI publishes information that is generally unknown
  in this time of silence.

  AL-MOHARER AL-AUSTRALI challenges all forms of 'New World Order'
  conditioning and thought control.

  Check out our website http://www.ozemail.com.au/~fouad

  If you believe in free speech, and have news or material concerning 
  suppressed news and information, please contact the Editor-in-Chief 
  Fouad El-hajj: fouad@eisa.net.au 

e)Legal Action by a French Group to Lift the Embargo off Iraq: Sign
  On..
  The following are excerpts from the Action Alert:
  "We bring charges before the International Court of Justice of the 
  Hague, and before all other competent National and International 
  bodies, against the aforesaid embargo decreed by the United Nations
  Security Council for

- Non-Respect of the Geneva Conventions (12/08/1949) 
- Non-Respect of the United Nations Charter (26/06/1945) 
- Non-Respect of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10/12/1948) 
- Non-respect of the Universal Declaration of Childhood Rights The
violation of these International Conventions, by which our countries 
are formally bound, implies the judicial and moral responsibility of our
nations for the victims of the Iraqi people.

. In the face of such grave consequences we also suffer prejudice and 
  are consequently directly involved with the Iraqi victims 
  I the undersigned : 

Name:
Address/email:

Give power of attorney to Mr. Alain Michel, President of the 
association EquiLibre, to represent me in the submission of the above
mentioned charges to the International Court of Justice of the Hague and
to the other International and National bodies concerned.

>Date : Signature :

The moral persons (organizations, unions, groups...) can join this
indictment  Association EquiLibre - (plainte contre l'embargo)
23, Allée du Mens
BP 1613 - 69606 Villeurbanne Cedex (Lyon-France)
Tel. 33 33 79 78 4 (33):
Fax: 02 50 79 78 4 (33):
Email : embargo@equilibre.org
Internet : http://www.equilibre.org/embargo
Please distribute this procuration as widely as possible.

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