Feature

awfiq Toubi has
been a member of
the Israeli Knesset
since 1949, Toubi,
deputy general
secretary of the
Communist Party
of Israel, was
elected on the
Party’s ticket until
1977. Since then he
has been elected on the ticket of the
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality,
a coalition that includes the Communist
Party, the Black Panthers (an organization
of Sephardic Jews) and other progressive
forces.

Mr. Toubi was interviewed for the U.S.
People’s Daily World Magazine, while in
Washington, D.C. to attend the
convention of the American-Arab Anti-
Discrimination Committee, by Tim
Wheeler, correspondent for the People’s
Daily World.

PDW: Do you represent a particular
region of Israel?

TAWFIQ TOUBI: We have a system of
national proportional representation.
Each ticket submits a national list of
candidates. That list is distributed
throughout the country. Every citizen
chooses one ticket. All these votes are
gathered together, counted and every
ticket is allotted a number of seats in
accordance with the votes it received.

PDW: What is the character of the
Democratic Front?

TOUBE: It combines Jewish and Arab
citizens of Israel under a platform of
peace, democracy and equality.

The main point is to work for peace
between Israel and the Arab countries,
and between the Israeli and Palestinian
people. The program calls upon Israel to
withdraw from all territories occupied
since June 1967 and recognize the right of
the Palestinian people to self-
determination, including support for the
formation of an independent Palestinian
state alongside Israel. This is the principle
of “two states for two peoples,” with a
peace treaty to ensure coexistence and co-
operation.

We believe the achievement of a peace
treaty on this basis can best be reached
through an international conference
convened by the United Nations,
including all concerned parties, with the
Palestinians represented by the PLO.

Another point on the program is full
equality for the Arab citizens of Israel.
The Arab population have, since the .
formation of Israel, been: treated
practically as second class citizens.

PDW: When referring to Arab workers
in Israel, you have used the term “Black
labour.” What does that mean?

TOUBI: We use this phrase because, in
the United States, Blacks are often
confined to unskilled and lower paying
jobs. This is also the fate of the Arab
workers in Israel. So we use the term
“Black labour.” The defence of the rights
of all working people, which are
continuously threatened and attacked, and
equality for women are important parts of
our activity and work.

The discrimination against the Arab
population has been in various fields. The
main issue the Arab population faces is
the right to live in their country — to
prevent the execution of plans to expel the
Arabs from Israel. After forty years, we
don’t consider this danger to be over.

PDW: Isn’t Meier Kahane an exponent
of this?

TOUBI: Yes. But Kahane draws his
philosophy of extreme racism from the
policy of discrimination exercised by the -
government.

Equality also means equality for
Sephardic Jews and all sections of the
Israeli population. It’s democracy that we
uphold. This is one of the basic points of
the program of the Democratic Front.

Democratic practices in Israel have
been eroding since the June 1967 war. The

8 e Pacific Tribune, May 4, 1988

Working for peace,
democracy, equality

in Israel’s conflict

occupation itself is damaging Israeli
society — undermining the standard of
living, free elections and free speech.
Moreover, the right-wing, nationalist and
racist forces in the country have increased
their strength during the period of the
occupation. The Likud grew from a small
party before the June 1967 war to its
current sharing of power with the Labour
Party. This is merely an indication of the
anti-democratic process that has engulfed
Israel.

PDW: Israel has a reputation for having
a militarized economy. Does the program
of the Democratic Front address this?

TOUBI: Of course. When we point out
the ills of Israeli society, particularly the
continued attacks on the working class
and on social services, we connect those
ills to the allocation of over 70 per cent of
the budget to the military. The military
budget is the main source of all social ills
and evils of Israeli society. The struggle
for peace means the struggle for better
conditions for the working people, for
better social services and lessening the tax
burden on the population. We combine
the struggle for peace with the struggle for
a better Israel in all areas of life.

This position is particularly appreciated
in the development towns and townships,
where people are living at a very low
standard and unemployment is very high.
The people themselves are raising the
demand, “Stop allocations to the
settlements in the occupied territories and
divert the resources to the poor quarters.”
This is a fighting slogan against the
occupation and for improving the
standard of living.

PDW: What is your assessment of the
current uprising in the occupied territories?

TOUBI: The uprising is an expression
of the determination of the Palestinian
people, after 20 years of occupation, to
achieve the establishment of an
independent Palestinian state. It has
disproved the notion, fostered by the —
Israeli government, that with the passing

_ of time the Palestinian people would get

accustomed to and eventually accept
occupation.

It is confirmation that no force, no
occupation, no suppressive measures
adopted by Israel will prevent the
Palestinian people from asserting their
rights. It’s a failure of force — a failure of
the policy of settlements and annexations.

The uprising has brought a message to
the whole world focusing the attention of
international public opinion on the
necessity to end the occupation and bring
about a just settlement. Continued
occupation means new explosions and
new dangers to the area.

(Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak) Shamir
and (Defence Minister Yitzhak) Rabin
tried to give the impression that this was
the just the actions of a few boys throwing
stones and would end soon. But this is the
resistance of a whole people, young, old,
women, children — it’s one people
standing up and resisting occupation and
the strongest army in the Middle East
cannot suppress them. With their
determination and unity, no force is able
to suppress their uprising.

PDW: Has there been an evolution in the
development of the uprising? Has it become
more mature and organized?

TOUBI: The uprising is the product of
the maturity and political consciousness of
the Palestinian people. One shouldn’t
make the mistake of saying the Palestinian
people have no leadership. All sections of
the Palestinian people are taking part in
the uprising and asserting that the PLO is
their legitimate, sole representative. At the
same time, the people taking part in the

"uprising are creating local instruments to

lead and organize the struggle. This
leadership is becoming more experienced
and effective and is a produce of the
maturity of the uprising.

It’s engulfing more sections of the
Palestinian population. A large number of
Palestinian policemen have recently
resigned. This is one aspect of the
participation of newer sections of the
population in the mass activity of the
Palestinian people against the occupation.

The uprisings will continue and will
bring the reality to the entire world that, {
without solving the Palestinian problem, s
you cannot bring about a settlement 1m the
Middle East.

PDW: How is the uprising affecting —
public opinion in Israel?

TOUBI: It’s changing world publi¢
opinion and influencing Israeli public
opinion. There is a polarization of forcess~
There are the forces of the racists — MOSS
who call for a bigger force to crush the 3
uprising. 3

But, on the other hand, the popular~

asking, “Where is this confrontation
heading?”

It is not a question of a few so-called
“terrorists” that we are dealing with. We
are dealing with the whole people. We ale
confronting the whole people and how
long can we continue in this manner?
How long can Israel continue to be an
occupying power? How long can we
continue without peace with the
Palestinian people? So new forces are
joining the fight for ending the
occupation. The main slogan now
appearing in Israeli society is, “Let’s talk
with the Palestinians.”

PDW: How do you assess the difference
between the Likud and the Labour Party?

TOUBI: We do not disregard the
discussion that is taking place, but there
shouldn’t be any misunderstanding — the ©
main struggle in Israel is not between the
(Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon) Peres
“peace forces” and Shamir, the war
monger. They both stand on a common
national position that prevents a peaceful
settlement with the Palestinians. They
both refuse to withdraw from all the
occupied territories. They refuse to
recognize the right of the Palestinian
people to self-determination and an
independent state, They stubbornly refuse _
to recognize the PLO as the representative —
of the Palestinian people and they both
oppose an international conference where —
the Palestinian side takes part on an equal
basis, represented by the PLO. The forces
of peace oppose Shamir and Peres. There
are tactical differences between them, but
both are united in blocking the road to a
peaceful settlement.

PDW: What is the role of the United
States and the Soviet Union in bringing
about a peaceful settlement?

TOUBI: Without international co-
operation, especially between the Soviet
Union and the United States, there can be
no convening of an international
conference. The Middle East conflict has *
outgrown its regional boundaries and
become an international problem. It has
repercussions on world peace. Every
explosion in the Middle East has sent
tremors all over the world and endangers
world peace.

PDW: You are a Palestinian who has
lived his entire life in Israel. Do you
consider yourself a patriot of Israel?

TOUBI: I am a Palestinian. I was born
in the country. My fathers were born in
the country. It’s my home — my country.
The development of events 40 years ago
brought about the formation of the State
of Israel in accordance with the United
Nations resolution. We supported the
resolution, of which the basis is the
formation of two independent states, and
we still fight for the implementation of
these principles.

I am a citizen of the state of Israel. My
foremost duty is to help both
people —Israeli and Palestinian — live in
peace. It will be the greatest event in my
life when there is a Palestinian state
alongside the state of Israel. With that will
come a new vista of co-operation — of
peaceful, democratic development for the
peoples of the region. This is what we are
dedicating ourselves to. This is in the
interest of the Israeli people, because
without peace there will be no security or
future for Israel.