07) SALUTE TO PALESTINE!

People's Voice Editorial

     The next step in the long Palestinian struggle for freedom and independence has been taken with the historic speech by President Mahmoud Abbas at the United Nations on Sept. 22. Debate within the Security Council on Palestine's application for U.N. membership is expected to begin soon.

     But shamefully, Canada remains among the tiny handful of countries which want to block any progress in this direction. Just days after the powerful words of President Abbas, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told the General Assembly that Canada would vote "no" to Palestine's application. Baird parroted the words of Israeli PM Netanyahu, demanding that the Palestinians to return to talks without preconditions. In other words, Palestine must continue to suffer the loss of the remaining shreds of its historic territories, as the inexorable expansion of Israeli settlements create a fait accompli in the occupied territories.

     It remains to be seen how the process at the U.N. will play out. Enormous pressure by the U.S. administration may force several Security Council members to abstain, and the Palestinian statehood bid must then gain more support within the General Assembly to proceed.

     But sooner or later, the state promised to Palestinians in 1948 will be achieved, and the era of Israeli occupation and apartheid will come to an end. The people of Palestine will win a truly viable, independent state, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of Palestinians to return to their stolen homes. Nothing less is acceptable.

     Here in Canada, if the Harper Tories have their way, speaking in these terms may soon become classified as the criminal act of hate speech. But we reject any legislated attempt to silence criticism of the apartheid policies of Israel, and we continue to express our solidarity with the heroic people of Palestine.

(The above article is from the October 1-15, 2011, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)