TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW _ The Communist Party — voice of the other Israel & Q. Could you describe the work of the Communist Party of Israel, its main struggles and programs? A. The Communist Party_ of, Israel is carrying on a tremen- dous struggle on economic is- sues, for democracy and for peace. It is the only party with - influence both among Jewish and Arab workers. The CPI has a definite, clear program for peace in the Middle East. We have four members in par- liament — two Jewish and two Arab comrades. Four members in a parliament of 120 is not so many. But these four deputies play a vital role because they speak out very energetically against the politics of the gov- ernment. They do not compro- mise with those who are bring- ing disaster for our people. They expose the terror and discrimi- nation being practiced against the people in the occupied terri- tories. : They speak about discrimina- tion against Jews who came from the Arab countries and against the discrimination of the Arab people in Israel. The CPI is the only party struggling official- ly against government policies and were the only voices raised against the wars, against chauv- -inism, against nationalism and hatred and against anti-Soviet- ism which is the official policy of the government. - Ruth Lubitz, member of the Political Bureau of the Com- munist Party of Israel, inter- viewed during a recent visit to Toronto, describes the work of the CPI. This is the third section of a four-part series. So the four voices are not only four voices — they are many voices. They are the conscience of the best people in our coun- try. They are the voices of the other Israel — of the peaceful, democratic people. And lately these deputies are not isolated in parliament. On many ques- tions they receive support from other forces. —~ The CPI is represented in all professional organizations, in-the trade union centre, in city coun- cils — especially in the Arab sections. In many democratic organizations communists are working together with non-com- . munists as, for example, in the democratic women’s organiza- tions which represent thousands of Jewish and Arab women_and in another which works for So- viet-Israeli friendship. We have a fine youth organi- zation, not strong enough, but they are the best youth in our country — Jewish and Arab. The CPI has won many people in the arts and professions to its side. The best writers and poets from the Arab countries Welcome PLO to Ontario Peace Congress tells Davis TORONTO — Ontario’s Tory premier, William Davis, who has threatened a provincial boy- _cott of the United Nations Con- ference on Crime if the dele- gates. of the Palestine Liberation Organization are allowed into Canada to attend, has received rebuffs from several quarters, in- cluding the Canadian Peace Congress. “The withdrawal of the U.N. conference from Canada because of your opposition to PLO dele- gates would bring shame on our country,” the Peace Congress told Davis. A U.N. spokesman had noted the possibiilty of mov- the conference to another country if the PLO were barred. Ottawa has not yet announced its decision on PLO entry, de- spite Davis’ demand that its _ delegates be kept out. : Affront to Canada “Your suggestion that the peo- ple of Ontario would consider it an affront, were members of the Palestine Liberation Organiza- ’ tion allowed to enter Canada,” the Peace Congress told Davis, “Gs an affront to Canada,” The letter, signed by Canadian Peace Congress executive secre- tary, Jean Vautour, accused cision of the United Nations... disregard for the realities of the situation in the Middle East, and . . . political pandering to seri- ously biased groups.” Pointing out that the U.N. “has recognized the PLO as the sole, legitimate representative organi- zation of the Palestinian people,” the letter reminded the premier that “the Palestinian people are the victims of aggression, not the aggressors in the Middle East. Davis of “contempt for the de- . PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 13, 1975—Page 6 ‘It is the Palestinians who have been driven from their an- cestral home. It is the Palestin- ians who have been robbed of their lands and civil rights,” the letter says. “It is the Palestinian leaders, lawyers, civic officials, mayors, doctors, editors, professors and students and teachers who have been arrested, imprisoned, with- cut warrants or charges, tor- tured and denied recourse to legal assistance.” : And, the letter continues,, “It is Palestinians in refugee camps in other countries than their own, who have been attacked by military forces, whose women and children have been killed, burned by napalm and left home- less. “These are the realities.” The Peace Congress notes further that the “PLO has agreed to. meet in Geneva with repre- sentatives of all states in the Middle East to try to work out a peaceful solution to the con- flict. “One can only assume,” the letter charges Davis, “that your desire for electoral support from groups opposed to peace in the Middle East is of more import- ance to you than the objective truth in relation to the Palestine Liberation Organization. The truth is, there can be no peace in the Middle East without rec- ognition of the right of the Palestinian people, the PLO, and their right to a state of their own.” The Peace Congress urged Premier Davis to “change your position on this question, and welcome all delegations to this U.N. conference .. .” are with us and their work is widely published in the press of neighboring Arab: lands. The Communist Party vote in- creased in the last election. In the-Arab sector of Nazareth, the CPI won more than 40% of the vote. There are towns and vil- lages where we win 60 and 70% of the vote. We have newspapers in sever- al languages. The Hebrew paper of the Central Committee of the party appears weekly and the Arab paper twice weekly. There is a weekly Jewish paper and a bi-weekly paper in Bulgarian. The youth organization has a . small newspaper in Hebrew and a larger one in Arabic. We also issue a paper especially directed to workers each two weeks. The Party issues many leaflets on issues as they arise. All this is still not enough in the face of the mass circulation reactionary and Zionist press, television and radio which ham- mers day and night in favor of government policies. Q. Is there a-radio, press and TV blackout against the work of the Party and especially the statements. of the four Commu- nist deputies? _ A. Yes there is. Very seldom do they report what our deputies say in parliament. Television is completely closed’ to us except during elections. when we are granted a very short time. Re- cently, Mier Vilner, general sec- retary of the CPI appeared on national television and masses of people heard for the first time the position of the Communists. ‘This made a very great impres- sion. Letters poured in from people everywhere — from the military as well — greeting this step and saying it was the first time they had heard communist . spokesmen. The group that Suez re-opens. after PORT SAID — On June 5 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat stood on the bridge of the des- troyer Sixth of October as it steamed down the Suez Canal, officially re-opening the water- way eight years to the day after its closure during the 1967 Mid- east war. ; Sadat called it “the happiest day of my life” in his address to mark the re-opening. He de- clared the canal’s opening con- tribution to peace and interna- tional cooperation. Sadat welcomed Israel’s with- drawal of missiles to 24 miles from the Suez, but stressed that a complete withdrawal from the cea Ge Lo i 3 “We have four members in parliament . . . who speak out against government policies and do not compromise with those who bring disaster to our people. They expose the terror and discrimination being practiced against the people in the occupied territories . . broke away from the Communist Party get much more radio and TV time than we do. Q. Where is this group today? What is their influence? * A. In 1965, a large Jewish group left the Communist Party, actually causing a split in the Party. The Party remained as an international party — Jewish and Arab. Not one Arab com- munist joined the splitters. The Communist Party charac- terized the break-away group as. nationalist and Zionist. They left ’- with the slogan of becoming “a large party.” What remains of them? Their most important leader -Sneh died. Over the years others left.the group in- cluding several leading members. Some returned to the party. Some months ago, the general secretary, Mikunis quit the group. Before the last election, this group united with another group called Blue-Red, led by Mier Pail, a former military man who is a Zionist-Socialist. They: elect- ed one deputy, Pail, and Mikunis failed to be elected. Thus, this original break-away group found itself without ‘one voice in Par- liament. In June these two groups will form one party and have declared the program they are discussing which shows them to be an open Zionist party. territories of the Sinai, Golan Heights and Palestine (as stipu- lated in U.N. resolution 242) must follow. Israeli troops, tanks, artillery and anti-tank weapons still re- main within six to 15 miles from the canal, in Egyptian territory. Economically, the resumption of traffic through the 100-mile waterway means partial recov- ery of some $25-million a year in income that Egypt-lost when the canal closed. This includes cargo rates, which have been doubled from the $1 a ton charged in 1967, as well as income made indirectly from canal traffic. The residents of Port Said, Ismalia and Suez City all depended dir- _ widen and deepen the waterway The Communist Party is happy about these developments be- cause the government wanted to show the nation that we have “good communists” and “bad communists,” only the “bad ones” remain. The original Mikunis-Sneh group are carrying on a terrible campaign against the Soviet Union — they are in the fore: | front of anti-Sovietism. They aré the worst agitators against our party. Our party pays little at | tenticn to them. At first it was 4 — great tragedy, but now we’vé spit them out and the workers don’t listen to them. 4 This experience has lessons — for the whole communist. move- | ment. We know that this prob- | lem reflected itself also in Can- — ada, particularly among Jewish — people. For us today this group — is zero, but for others outside © Israel perhaps it still creates — problems. \ + SMALL AMBITIONS Tom Ross, the Chicago Sun | Times’ man in Washington re- | ported recently on U.S. Defence | Secretary Schlesinger and For- | eign Secretary Kissinger that, “The two men. are locked in 4 | titanic battle for the mind of | President Ford.” How small | man’s ambition. | 8 years ectly and indirectly on the can- al’s prosperity. Although traffic is now mov’. ing through the waterway, the | process of revitalizing it for to- day’s needs is not completed. The task of clearing the wrec age of two wars took millions of dollars and more than a year t0 complete, with crews from Eg- ypt, the Soviet Union, Britain, France and the U.S. taking ‘part. Sadat has approved a $10-bil- lion five-year plan to rebuild the ruined cities along the canal, to accommodate today’s large! vessels and construct new ait- ports, rail lines and communica: tion facilities in the area.