Communist Party of Israel

Contribution to International Communist Conference Athens
May 1999 by Tamar Gozansky

CPI is grateful for this occasion to discuss current
international situation and to evaluate the new strategies
of the transnational companies.
We convey our warm congratulations to Communist Party of
Greece for organizing this International meeting.
Comrades,
The ongoing aggressive war, waged by the US and NATO
against the people of Yugoslavia, proves-once more how
dangerous and harmful is desire for American hegemony all
over the world. We join the demand for the immediate stop
of the NATO bombings. The solution of the bloody conflict
in Yugoslavia must be based on respect for national rights
and human rights.
Such a solution should stop the expulsion of ethnic
Albanians from Kosovo and the crimes of murder and
destruction and at the same time-guarantee the territorial
integrity of Yugoslavia and autonomy for Kosovo.
Comrades,
While the NATO bombings reveal one side of the nature of
the policy of globalization, led by the US, the creating of
military of military-strategic arises and the promoting of
peace negotiations may serve, in other cases, the same
policy.
Assuming the last elections to the Knesset (Israeli
Parliament) held on May 17, CPI assumes that they have
created a historic opportunity for forming a new
government, consisting of supporters of the Peace process
with the Palestinians, as well as with Syria and Lebanon.
The fact that the majority of the voters rejected Netanyahu
and his dangerous policy - is an important political
turnover.
Yet, the question remains, whether the new elected prime
minister, Ehud Barak, will create a coalition without the
Likud Party and other extreme right parties. CPI warns that
such a �National Unity� government will prevent the full
implementation of the interim agreement and the formation
of the permanent peace agreement based on the establishment
of a Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital,
alongside Israel.
Anyhow, while we feel some hope concerning the perspective
of peace process ,we see clearly the danger of social
reaction inside Israel. In the last elections it became
clear that the domination of social conservatism and
extreme religious forces on Israeli society is increasing.
The new government led by Barak will continue the harmful
policy of privatization, of high interest and of cutting
social expenditure under the pretext of the demands of the
�global market�. Unfortunately, all the political parties
in Israel, except the CPI and its allies in Hadash (the
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) support the policy
of surrender to the demand of globalization.
In the case of Israel, globalization means, for example,
the creation of a so called �Free production Area�, as a
service to transnational companies, which will exploit the
qualified labor force of Israel.
But globalization means also the going on creation of
Industrial Estates, where Israeli and foreign companies
will exploit Palestinian workers. From the point of view of
Israeli ruling circles, the future economic relations
between Israel and Palestine should be based on the model
of NAFTA, where Palestine will play the role of Mexico.
Facing the destructive effects of capitalist globalization,
of privatization and �Free trade agreements�, facing the
harmful results of national conflicts and aggressive
wars-we should mobilize workers, women, young people to
defend their interests and challenge the policy led by big
corporations and the anti-working class governments.
Experience in Israel and around the world shows that such a
political involvement is growing when workers, women and
students are convinced that their activity will help them
solve distressing problems, such as unemployment, crisis of
housing, national discrimination and destruction of the
environment.
We are sure that this International Conference will have a
positive outcome by encouraging social and political
struggle in the spirit of peace and social justice.