People's Democracy

KHALID Mohd Haidabi, the first secretary in the Palestine Embassy for India was the chief guest in the CPI(M) convention on solidarity with the people of Palestine, which was attended by a large number of participants from different areas of the valley. Addressing the convention, he thanked the CPI(M) and the people of Kashmir for their support and solidarity with the Palestinian cause. He recalled his visit to the valley in 1982, when the people of Kashmir had come out in the streets of Srinagar in protest against Israeli aggression upon Beruit. He narrated the events leading to the imperialist conspiracy designed to an unjust partition of Palestine by ejecting the Palestinian natives to carve out a Jewish state. He exposed the Israeli contempt for the world opinion, which went to the extent of describing the United Nations as "United Nothing". He added that Israel never wanted a settlement of the issue and did not allow even the Fact Finding Mission devised by UN secretary general Kofi Anan to visit the civilian areas bombed by Israel, which had caused loss of Palestinian lives and property. He deplored that Sheron, a rabid racist was the prime minister today, who had once regretted for not eliminating Yaseer Arafat. He regretted that the Israeli army had destroyed Palestinian towns and villages and not allowed medical relief to reach the injured, who were left to die. He charged Israel for its opposition to peace in order to grab the entire Palestinian lands. He expressed Palestinian resolve to fight injustice and assured the convention that every Palestinian child would be conveyed the feelings of sympathy and goodwill expressed in the convention.

Nilotpal Basu, the chief whip of CPI(M) in the Rajya Sabha in his inaugural address explained how the US imperialism was supporting Israel in suppressing the Palestinian people for its interest in the region. He deplored the illegal immigration of Israelis which continued even after 1993 accord and Israeli siege of the office and residence of Yaseer Arafat.

He expressed shock that the present BJP-led government at the centre instead of expressing solidarity with oppressed Palestinians, has entered into various military agreements with Israel.

John Sommanson, central committee member, Young Left, Sweden stated that the Swedish government was betraying the interests of the people by its support to Israel, although the common people of Europe supported Palestinians in their struggle against Israeli aggression. He condemned Israel's racist regime, which committed atrocities upon the peace loving Palestinians. He advocated trade boycott against Israel.

O N Trisal moved a resolution in the convention, condemning Israel for a brutal aggression against the Palestinian people in order to deny them the fundamental right to live in their homeland. During the last two years, Israel has pursued a policy of unprecedented barbarity against people of Palestine. It has besieged Palestinian towns. Its soldiers bombed Palestinian homes causing thousands of civilian killings. It is regrettable that the BJP-led government at the centre playing the role of a junior partner to the US has diluted the policy of all out support to Palestinian cause. The resolution called upon the government of India to break all diplomatic relations with Israel in protest against a reign of terror let loose by her. The resolution was seconded by G N Malik and unanimously adopted.

Sofi Gh Mohd, senior journalist and editor Srinagar Times stated that governments of some countries may not have come out in support of Paletinian people, but there was no room for doubt that the world opinion was in favour of their just cause. He recalled that decades ago unending queues of Kashmiri children, men and women of all ages and communities gathered outside the offices of Srinagar Times and Aftab, dailies to donate blood in response to a call from Palestinians injured in Israeli attacks. He, again recalled that even school going children alongwith others came with small donations, for the Palestinian sufferers. He explained that the present conflict was the creation of big powers and that the battle, in fact, was between US and Palestine, while Israel was a mere proxy.

State secretary CPI(M), M Y Tarigami, in his presidential address stated that the Palestinian question was not a mere matter of territory but involved the future of humanity itself. He regretted that the present BJP-led central government stand on the question was an unmitigated disservice to the cause of Indian ethos. He expressed satisfaction that there still existed hope in as much as the crores of our countrymen supported the Palestinian people, despite the present central government turning its back on the time-tested foreign policy of remaining on the side of Palestinian people in their just struggle against imperialists backed Israel. He stated that words were not enough to describe the atrocities heaped upon Palestinians who deserved salute and that he had no doubt that the Indian people denounced the barbarian methods employed by Israel. He pointed out that Yaseer Arafat had donated his blood for those injured on September 11 in US and he certainly did not deserve the treatment meted out to him at Ramallah at the hands of Israel, backed by the same US. He expressed the hope that the convention symbolised the feelings of the common man of the country and would lead to big moment in support of sufferings of Palestinian brothers.