Increasing stakes and dangers in the siege of Beirut intentions of the Islamic Republic lead. Continuing the Fight!
In launching its aggression against Lebanon, the Zionist government aimed at inflicting a decisive military defeat on the Palestinian resistance, creating a reactionary strong state in Lebanon, and thus changing the overall relationship of forces in the region to the benefit of the imperi-
In its first phase, Blitzkrieg scored unquestionable military successes. But in the second phase, which has been going on for several weeks now, the Zionists have found themselves in a political impasse.
First of all, Beirut, which has been transformed into a fortress city, cannot be taken by a simple rapid operation. This could be accomplished only at the cost of heavy losses, on the Israeli side
Secondly, the imperialist countries and even the U.S. prefer a compromise solution avoiding a dramatic confrontation. Such a solution would be less fraught with dangers for the future of the conservative Arab regimes, with which they want a modus vivendi.
Finally, an opposition unprecedented in time of war has profoundly shaken the traditional consensus in the Zionist state itself.
In order to try to extricate themselves from this impasse, Begin and Sharon have come up with various plans. They have kept up heavy pressure on West Beirut, continually breaking the truces with murderous bombing. They have sought to gain international support for their push to force the total capitulation of the PLO.
In Israel, Begin and Sharon organized a demonstration of two hundred thousand of their supporters in an attempt to show that the majority of the Israeli population supports them and is still ready to mobilize for their goals. In the framework of this demonstration, they floated a proposal as demogogie as it was cynical that any Palestinians forced to flee Lebanon who find themselves unwelcome in any Arab state will be welcomed on Israeli territory.
The coming days will show to what extent the Zionist government will be able to achieve its objective, that is, to crush the PLO militarily and more gene. rally to break up the Palestinian resistance. But what is certain now is that the Zionist threat still hangs over West Beirut. On July 18, Begin said that Yassar Arafat "will soon be liquidated."
Solidarity with Palestine demonstration (DR)
The situation in the region, moreover, may become still more explosive as result of the resumption of military operations between Iraq and Iran. After long hesitations, the Khomeini leadership has gone on the offensive, hoping that it can deal a mortal blow to the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein and gain increased influence over the traditionalist forces in the various Arab countries. It seeks to be able to play a hegemonic role in the retion, among other things, by presenting itself as the champion of anti-Zionism.
At the same time, the Khomeini leadership hopes to strengthen itself on the homefront in order to be in a better position to control and stop the process of social revolution, to be able to neutralize and repress all the oppositions. It is significant that there are signs of a new attack against the Kurds, who are fighting their national rights; and that weekly paper of the Communist (Tudeh) Party, which in fact is friendly to the regime, has recently been banned
However, regardless of the aims and ers, the conflict that has flared up again can create an uncontrollable situation for the imperialist forces. And this threat is pushing them to redouble their efforts to impose their solution in Lebanon.
Precisely because of the existence of such an explosive situation and because of the fact that despite everything the Zionist government and the imperialists do not have a lot of room for maneuver, the Palestinian and Lebanese progressive leaders will bear a heavy responsibiliaccept a compromise would amount to capitulation.
Such a compromise has not been achieved so far due to the exaggerated claims of Begin-Sharon. But at bottom a majority of the PLO leadership and the Lebanese progressives seem ready now to accept Israel's essential demand, that is, that they abandon Beirut and the key Palestinian military positions in return for the hope of getting some dubious policical and diplomatic concessions.
Of course, crushed militarily, that would not mark the end of the With three million Palestinians left no homeland, the resistance would spring up again from the ashes like a phoenix But this does not take away from the fact that a capitulation in Beirut-even if it were covered up by the intervention of some international forces which would be imperialist-would be an enormous step backward, a major defeat. The defeat would be all the worse in conditions where resistance is still possible in Beirut and the regional situation remains explosive.
On this basis, there are forces in the Palestinian resistance as well as in the ranks of the Lebanese progressives who reject any capitulation and who are demanding that the struggle be continued. The Lebanese section of the Fourth International stands together with them. In a document disseminated in the last days (which marks a continuation of the statements previously published in IV), they call on all the forces involved in the fight to reject any capitulation and to continue intransigently the struggle against the Zionist army and to oppose any attempt by this army to occupy West Beirut.
Hands Off Beirut! Immediate and Unconditional Withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon!
Palestinian Resistance is 3