Communist Party of Israel Sides with Arab Rebellions
The Popular Uprising—
The Arab peoples’ historical breakthrough
Decisions of the 13th session of the Central Committee
February 19, 2011
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The Central Committee of CPI salutes the mass popular movement for democracy and a dignified existence, which marks a breakthrough in the history of the Arab people. For the first time in 60 years, the masses have risen up and banished the pro-American tyrants, who trampled human rights, privatized governmental corporations, and created widespread unemployment and economic distress, while they themselves, along with a narrow stratum of capitalists and financiers, became rich. The banishing of the disgraced President Ben Ali from Tunisia, and of President Hosni Mubarak from Egypt have set into motion a broadening social and political campaign, which is spreading into other countries of the region.
The triumph of the popular political protests has been achieved thanks to the collaboration of workers fighting for fair wages and against privatization, of young unemployed university graduates, of women and of democracy-seekers. The unity of the civic campaign has defeated the powers of oppression and their thugs, and liberated the multitudes from fear and despair.
The first clear victory achieved by the popular uprisings is a change of discourse. No regime and no autocracy can continue to ignore the rights and desires of the peoples.
The popular uprisings in the Arab countries, like the progressive democratic changes in the Latin American countries are weakening global capitalism, which has condemned the peoples of the Third World to be cheap providers of labor and a source for quick financial gain.
The Central Committee notes, that the revolutionary uprising reinforces trust in the power of peoples to attain civil and social rights, and to weaken and even eradicate a regime that is linked to local and foreign capital.
The entire world – with the exception of the United States –
supports the Palestinian struggle for independence and for a just peace.
President Obama vetoed the resolution and prevented it from passing. However, by doing so, he again demonstrated that his condemnations of construction in the settlements, and his declarations in favor of creating an independent Palestine were empty words. The American veto is an unequivocal act of support for the Israeli occupation, which sabotages international efforts to achieve a just and stable peace in the region. Therefore, this is a veto against the right of both peoples – the Palestinians and the Israelis – to throw off the yoke of the occupation.
At the root of the present assault on the democratic sphere is a dangerous shift that the right wing is undergoing – with large sections of the established right wing openly adopting Kahanist, racist and anti-democratic positions. At the same time, the collapse of the traditional political center in Israel has greatly weakened the forces that in the past provided a counterbalance to the right wing. Under the current circumstances, a huge historical responsibility has been placed at the door of left wing forces – led by CPI and Hadash, to spearhead a campaign to consolidate broad-based actions against the dangers of Fascism.
But, despite the force of the anti-democratic assault, emanating from the highest echelons of political power, the battle for democracy in Israel is not lost. A large and powerful Jewish-Arab democratic camp does exist, and this is the time to shatter the air of despondence, despair and silencing, and to speak forth with a unified voice.
The demonstration by tens of thousands of people on January 15, 2011, initiated by CPI and Hadash (Democratic Front for Peace and Equality), proved that it is possible to mobilize the masses for a democratic struggle. The Central Committee notes the importance of the broad-based cooperation, that was evident in the demonstration and in its basic messages. The CPI expresses its appreciation for the Tel Aviv branch of CPI for the central role it played in organizing the demonstration and enlisting broad participation, and to members of the CPI and Hadash throughout Israel, for their important mobilization that made the demonstration possible.
A supreme strategic mission at the moment is to continue to consolidate a democratic camp, moving beyond ideological differences and political divisions, as a broad movement, which combines forces from the political arena and civil society, activists, political parties and civic organizations. The threat to the democratic spheres has, unfortunately, become a permanent aspect of Israeli reality, and in face of this reality, we must create broad-based and permanent collaborations.
The success of the democratic camp depends on its ability to create a broad collaboration between diverse forces, while building on a common foundation. At the same time, it is important to deepen and expand the meaning of the struggle for democracy in Israel. In our opinion, this struggle must be founded on three understandings:
The struggle for egalitarian democracy for all must include disempowered and beleaguered groups and social strata. In a society where attacks on the Arab national minority are a central component of the anti-democratic threat – the democratic camp must be an Jewish-Arab one.
Democracy must defend not only against racism and rejectionism toward the peace process, but also against the economic oligarchy and the links between finance capital and government, which undermine democratic norms for the sake of an economic policy that exacerbates socio-economic gaps, reduces workers to poverty, deepens national and ethnic discrimination, damages the health and education systems, harms the environment, women, senior citizens and children, and systematically erodes the middle and lower classes. Democracy requires solidarity and social justice.
The crisis of democracy is also one of the prices Israeli society is paying for the occupation which has lasted for more than forty years. For Israel to be a democracy – the occupation must end.
The Netanyahu government, which led the move to pass a bi-annual budget, under the pretext of preserving stability, was forced, under the pressure of growing demands, to announce a number of modest measures to reduce the prices of fuel, raise the minimum wages, and respond to a few other demands. But the Netanyahu government has not given up the policy of awarding tax breaks to the rich, privatizing the rail system, the ports and the electric corporation, nor has it retreated from taking steps toward privatizing health and education services. The government has rejected the demands for creating affordable public housing projects and has adopted recommendations that will reward the gas barons with the majority of the profits from the newly discovered offshore gas reservoirs.
The CPI supports the demands of the social workers, the nurses and the doctors, of the railway employees and of other groups of workers for a fair wage, and demands increases in the health and education budgets, while opposing the privatization initiatives.
The Central Committee condemns the violent attacks by police forces and by the border police against the families of the unrecognized village Al Araqib, which has included the use of bullets and the injury of civilians, home demolitions, and the arrest of residents and of citizens who came to support their campaign.
The struggle of the residents of Al Araqib against dispossession from their land and against the attempt by the Jewish National Fund to plant a forest on their land is an important, just and democratic struggle, which is deserving of every support from any seeker of justice – Arab or Jew.
For the militant observance of Land Day
The Arab population and the Jewish democratic forces will observe the 35th anniversary of Land Day on March 30.
The observance of the 35th Land Day must clearly and forcefully express the struggle of the Arab population for peace, equality, democracy and co-existence that respects the rights of the national minority.