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| Hyman lumer

‘ti :
eo Peace in the Middle East. There are rising doubts

ut the wisdom of the policies of the Meir government
Ci > Sa opposition to its increasingly blatant ra-
‘ Mia a any are disturbed by the Israeli incursions into
a Lebanon with the wholesale killing and injury
, Villans and by the monstrous act of shooting down a

a ib

q btn Passenger plane. But these sentiments have yet
: I in the Bee enized expression and the fight for a just peace
~ AU: iddle East has yet to find its proper place in the
a “Peace movement.

Mo e

é mies are the circumstances under which the Inter-
é hal Conference for Peace and Justice in the Middle

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; Tee Place in Bologna, Italy, on May 11-13. The con-
i C€'was the outcome of an initiative taken two years

| far)
€r by Khaled Mohieldin, the foremost leader of the

it PEA %5
MT inn Movement in Egypt. A preparatory meeting held

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J set a In April 1971 adopted a statement of position and
onsor resident preparatory committee. Invitations to
i “Rp fa attend the conference were to be based on ac-
Nota gi of the statement; in other words, it was to be
lalogue”’ but a gathering of people sharing a com-

in sy €w and prepared to work for a unified movement
- “UPPort of that view.

The
M Not a were many difficulties and sources of delay,
e among them assuring the attendance of both
and Arabs — a problem whose solution was vital

t
fl Moble Success of the conference. But eventually these

Venj Ms were sufficiently resolved to permit its con-

pe behets looking forward to the World Peace Congress to

1 Moscow in October.

WH Boo, Conference was attended by 188 delegates from

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County; 49 : so
ittries and six international organizations. The Ital-

but Ree stion was large and very broad in its makeup,

L nation from other countries was more limi-

Bates. 4,~ uted States was represented by only two dele-

Ciseg," 3 IS writer and Dr. Carlton Goodlett of San Fran-

Re rien known physician and publisher of the Sun-

long acti: a leading West Coast Black newspaper, and
ve in the world peace movement.

eee of guficant feature of the conference was the pres-
Jorda elegations from several Arab countries (Egypt,
Very br yria, Yemen, Morocco, Iraq), some of them
had ap Cad in composition. The Palestinian Arabs, who
Minute tha to send a delegation, announced at the last
Tent atta t they could not come because of the govern-
%. Ro cks on Palestinians then taking place in Leban-

4

| Not Mthe same reason the Lebanese delegation could

Send present. The conference voted unanimously to
aton congo 2m to the President of the Republic of Leb-
lang, also €mning the warlike acts against the Palestin-
and to a telegrams to the democratic Lebanese forces
whi ae Arafat, who was to have headed the Pales-
"Rsotid, 8ation, regretting their absence and express-
‘4 Tity with their struggles.

“sisted rot delegation is particularly noteworthy. It
it a Toubi and Uzi Burstein of the Com-

eli; (
Socialis: ist: Zeev Sade, a leader of the Left Union
Pam). Uri Zionists (a group which split off from Ma-

; Hara) ®

Olam wtvnery, K isher of
4 rae am Haz y, Knesset member and publisher

fi.

L and Yosef Amitai, a leader of the Is-
ese (Siach). What is especially significant

: id not come as individuals but as a unified
presenting an Israeli Committee for the

+ Natio;
Middle Baa Conference for Peace and Justice in the

N
os
Intgetions

his
N c .
item One ittee, prior to the conference, issued a

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bie: Stable eed PY 49 public figures, which called for

Ie ene and just peace; for the recognition of the

“Tae ©, sovereignty and territorial integrity of

rae 8lstights © Arab states; for the recognition of the na-
t

‘ofithe: Palestinian: Arab people:including:the

a. cin poeta wae” eee

a: " MAGAZINE

jets

of self.

ant eeureetermination,” and 2) ‘the implementation
SS NB the ne Council Resolution 242 in all its parts, in-
omer be rawal of the Israeli forces from the
ange ofa peg cured in the war of 1967 within the frame-
Stat, "ogni € agreement which will guarantee the safe
The €d frontiers between Israel and the Arab
Rho. Le lis :

of both ycigners is noteworthy not only for the pres-
Of fo, munists and non-Communists but also

ur leading figures in the Mikunis-Sneh group

of Israel, Natan Yalin-Mor, a prominent .

7000 Palestinian refugees live in this cam

we caverasn f

ID BEN

ao Sell a GH

p near Beirut.

Dr. Carlton Goodlett

(Maki): Ester Vilenska, Zvi Breitstein, Eliezer Feiler
and Yosef Lipsky. (The last is editor of Frei Yisroel and
a frequent contributor to the Morning Freiheit.) The op-

‘portunist Maki grouping has been deeply split, a section

of its leadership moving away fromi its increasingly pro-
Zionist, anti-Soviet position and in the direction of cer-

_tain positions of the Communist Party of Israel, as indi-

cated by these signatures to the statement.

The formation of this committee is of far-reaching
significance. Here we see the emergence of the united
peace front called for by the Israeli Communist Party,
of the beginnings of open unity of Communists and‘ non-
Communists, Zionists and anti-Zionists. It is a movement
which will grow in numbers and in breadth and which in
the end will be victorious.

At the close of the conference the Israeli delegation
issued a communique noting its concerted action on the
basis of its platform and pledging that: ‘‘On its return to
Israel, encouraged by the success of the Bologna Con-
ference, the Israeli Committee will continue acting in the
spirit of its platform, for mobilizing Israeli public opin-
ion in the spirit of the Bologna conference...”

Also noteworthy were the cordial relationships be-
tween Israeli and Arab delegations. Indeed, one of the

‘important achievements of the conference was the

achievement of Israeli-Arab unity around the common

program for peace.
‘ &

The major achievement of the conference was the
adoption of an appeal embodying the principles ex-
pressed in the original statement of the preparatory

~ committee. The appeal notes the annexationist policy of

the Israeli government and also notes that ‘‘In underwrit-
ing this policy, especially by providing financial and mil-
itary support, the government of the United States bears
a major responsibility for the present siaution. It then
calls for ‘“‘complete implementation of the UN resolu-
tions of November 22, 1967, and November 4, 1970, which
entail, first of all, withdrawal by the State of Israel of its
armed forces from all the Arab territories occupied
since June 1967 and recognition of the legitimate rights
of the Arab people of Palestine, of their rights of self-
determination; together with the right of all the peoples
and all the states of the Middle East to existence, inde-
pendence, sovereignty and security.”

At first, differences arose which made it seem doubt-
ful that any statement could be agreed on. But persis-
tent effort led to the formulation of a text which won un-
animous adoption. All things considered, therefore, the
conference must be considered a great success, a most
important step forward in the fight for peace in the Mid-
dle East. :

The appeal is intended to serve as a basis for action.
The organizing committee of the conference called in its
final report for the building, in as many countries as pos-
sible, of committees in support of the appeal.

The task posed for the peace forces in this country
is a special one. To be effective, such a committee must
include not only wide non-Jewish participation but also
substantial and broad Jewish participation, and to
achieve this is not simple. The Zionist establishment
exerts enormous influence and is a roadblock which will
not be easily overcome. However, the conditions for
moving forward in the Jewish community dq-exist and
the appeal offers an important igstrument for doing so.
Indeed, the prospects for building a united movement for
peace in the Middle East are far greater today than they
have been at any time in the past. ;

Of prime importance is the unification of the Jewish
Left. In particular, the Morning Freiheit and the pro-
gressive Jewish organizations must be won for the sup-
port and promotion of the appeal. Unity on this question
will greatly strengthen the fight to build a broader move-
ment.

The struggle in this country is of exceptional im-
portance hot only because the United States is the home
of half the world Jewish population xut also because it is
the support and military aid of U.S. imperialism which

makes possible the aggressive, annexationist policies of,

Israel’s ruling clique. Therefore, the central aim of the

struggle here must be to compel the Nixon Administra-

tion to reverse the present U.S. policy in the Middle East.
This is the key battle to win. The Bologna Conference

with its appeal makes a major contribution toward

2 9 eS ad