People's Democracy

 Arafat Hails CPI(M)

Yasser Arafat, president of the State of Palestine and chairman of the executive committee of Palestine Liberation Organisation, wrote from his headquarters in Ramallah on September 23 the following letter to the leaders, cadres and supporters of the CPI(M). The original letter was in Arabic, with one line added in Arafat’s own handwriting.

Dear Friends in the Communist Party of India (Marxist),

New Delhi,

Best Greetings!

WITH high interest and thanks we saw your important statement in which you expressed strong condemnation of the Israeli atrocities and of the dangerous racist decision that the extreme right government of Israel has taken to expel me out of my homeland Palestine. As we express our deep thanks for that, we also highly appreciate your principled firm stand of solidarity with us in this critical stage and the tragic situation in which our people are living due to the clandestine and genocidal war waged by Israel, the occupying force, on them with all the arsenal and the internationally prohibited weaponry it has for destruction and killings, in order to destroy our infrastructure, dismantle our National Authority, kill all efforts to achieve peace and continue their occupation of and settlements in our land and holy places.

We renew our thanks to you for the principled and sincere stand of solidarity which always stood by our people, and for your support for their legitimate and just struggle to restore and practice their inalienable rights. Wishing your party, leadership, cadres and members all success and prosperity.