i

A UNDED 14 =
Neng dus OTHER FLEES WITH CHILD IN VIETNAM BATTLE.

Inga
recent U.S. offensive near Bongson.

Imperialism to blame
for wor—Kashtan

“Imperialism and not people,

F be they Arabs, Jews or Vietnam-

ese, is the cause of war; the
sooner this is recognized, the
better for mankind.”

This point was stressed

“throughout a speech made by

William Kashtan, general secre-
tary of the Communist Party, in
Toronto, June 15.

“The world is passing through

a critical period arising from the

Middle East crisis and the con-

= tinued U.S. escalation of the war

in Vietnam,” said Kashtan. “Un-
derneath is an effort by imperi-

alism, above all U.S. imperial-.

ism, to change the course of
world history and regain lost
positions. What is really involv-
ed is the right of people to free-
dom and independence to run
their own economic and social
affairs free from outside inter-
ference.”

Acting under the guise of so-
called neutralism, said Kashtan,
the American government has
given suppoy to the Israeli gov-
ernment’s aggression against the
Arab states and is now striving
in the United Nations Security
Council to prevent that body
from naming Israel as the ag-
gressor. This is part of the Am-
erican aim to reshape the geo-
graphy of the Middle East and
to assist Israel in expanding its
territory, at the expense of the
Arabs.

The right of the state of Israel

“e?
eo ay

Eccles (London-Morning Star)

Prime Minister Wilson: “Can you hear me . .. can you hear
me... We didn’t send any planes!”

to exist cannot be decided by
imperialism.. Support
right must be won by policies
which build bridges of friendship
and cooperation with the Arab
peoples. The right to exist does
not give any country the right
to attack another country, or to
keep the land taken over in that
attack. This is what the Israeli
government, aided by the John-
son administration and other
imperialist powers, wants to do.

THERE IS A ROAD TO PEACE

Sey :
: lament) on May 22:

; | © exper
lg Ye Periences of the last

arg

- tial pojig rove that the offi-

f} Weg

Was a serj i
“4 ous fail-
Peace 4S Not able to reach
ett ecunity, In these
ih, we e i
Peace, i there js * pute #5
Mean =H taking this road
Policy teting the offi
o ty atirely. We or a
: e
i a aein things: first} :
he come i Es

Mdependent from

a e ;

a nal ane powers;
the °8al nar;..0, Tecogni
ay neitional ENE ae
ast em “ople of Palestine
ie fu Ost the right of the
led [eel Such a change
mee to eh Policy would
at € reco u

F Snition of th
Nights o
Nota of Israel b

ght of ptates, including es
Navigation.

efo

y ort for the sake of

Comn tel We have to

b anguage with
foples, with the

IN MIDDLE EAST

Fron, :

Na

“yy s :

. F the tw Be a MEIR VILNER, general secretary of one
Mmunist parties in Israel, delivered in the Knes-

Arab anti-imperialist forces.
The experience proves, that
peace will be established by
mutual recognition of the na-
tional rights only. We have
no need for preaching peace
but for a policy of peace. All
military actions across the
borders for the sake of de-
fending the throne of King
Hussein or the overthrow of
some other government have
to be stopped. No interna-
tional law whatsoever recog-
nizes as self-defense military
action on the territory of
other states.

Ben Gurion asked to pre-
vent the debate in the Knes-
set. In 1956 too, when he
was prime minister, he used
to act behind the back of the
sovereign Knesset. As An-
thony Eden did in the British
parliament, so Ben Gurior did
in the Knesset in withholding
the truth from our eyes. An-

of that

thony Nuiting’s revelations,

which were published recen- -

tly, are very enlightening. Ben

Gurion proclaimed: then that:

Israel never will be the first
to start war. And only two
weeks later she started a war
in conformity with the gov-
ernments of France and Bri-
tain. Might it not be so pos-
sible, that, one or two years
hence, we shall learn that we
did not hear today the whole
truth from the prime minister,
especially concerning the re-
gional cooperation between
the Israeli government and
the governments of the USA,
Great Britain and other colo-
nial powers?

We propose to the prime
minister, in case he is really
concerned about lessening the

‘tension, to- close the “open

notebook” in which he pen-
cilled down military actions

-across the border. Instead, he
should open a new book, a

book of peace and a different

-policy, which serves the secu- .

rity of Israel and not foreign

interests.

In 1956 the world forces of
peace, progress and Socialism
prevented the deterioration of
the war, and stopped it before
it grew into a major blaze. In
1967, there are reliable pros-
pects for hindering the out-
break of war in our region by
the common effort of the for-
ces of peace in Israel, the
Arab countries and the whole
world.

We call all those who are
really concerned about -the
well being of our sons and
daughters, about the security
of Israel and her taking root
as a recognized state in the
region, to mobilize in unity
for the struggle against being
pushed into war and military
adventure, for saving peace.

We propose to decide to
return permanently to the Is-
raeli-Egyptian and Israeli-Sy-
rian armistice commissions,
according to the advice of
the U.N. secretary general.

Let us defend peace with
all our might, for peace as-
sures the security of Israel.

; Such a policy only deepens the
hatred between people and plays
into the hands of imperialism. °

“Communists,” said Kashtan,
“believe that a just political set-
tlement has to be arrived at; one
which takes into account the’ in-
terests of Arabs and Jews alike.”

To achieve this, he explained

' requires not only that the Unit-
ed Nations and world’ public
opinion insist on an effective

-ceasefire but also that Israel
withdraw to the positions it held
prior to the outbreak of war. On
this basis conditions could be
created for a durable peace and
a political settlement of the
Middle East crisis.

Present events have showy
who defends the interests of af
people to self determination
Kashtan said. The socialist coun-
tries are taking a principled
stand —a stand firm for the
rights of all in the struggle
against imperialism. ©

Kashtan said the Canadian
public will have to do every-
thing in its power to insure that
aggression isn’t permissable to
anyone.

This applies with equal force
in Vietnam, he added. Johnson’s
policy has shown to be an im-
passe. Continued escalation by
the U:S. is a sign of a bankrupt
policy.

Developments in Vietnam and
the Middle East are a warning t
all who are concerned ee |
world peace and the prevention
of war. It is clear that peaceful
coexistence is not “in the bag”
but must be fought for.

Kashtan warned there is a
chance of the Middle East being
a smokescreen for American in-
vasion of North Vietnam. Tho
continued escalation could in-
clude invasion and widening of
its war of aggression. It could
even include the use of nucleat
weapons.

This is why the labor move-
ment, peace movements and all
Canadians must strengthen ef:
forts for the U.S. to stop tha
bombing, cease aggression and
work for conditions for mean
ingful negotiations, for a last
ing peace. :

June 23, 1967—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 7