On one day last week a hundred people died in the Lebanese capital of militia recommenced battle, with the tacit support of President Franjieh The fighting follows the attempts by the right-wing Christian-dominated of pleasing the Muslim population had been chosen. But the plot back Endlancist party 1 the establishment of a military government.
Phalangist militia -the proclamation of a state of emergency.
the Middle East.
proctaim a state or emergency. Beirut the culmination of tive weeks of bitter fighting between miaht wing goon squads and the guerrilla fighters of the Palestinian resistance.
- an deen or mmencan imperansmu - 1o Dune aDou!
In early April 27 Palestinians were slaughtered in cold blood by the - a denoerate provocauon aimed at toucame ona confrontation that would necessitate the intervention of the army and The Phalangists know that only d lunary covernment wowe be cavable or cuaranteeine ine caoli alist order in Lebanon and imposing the necessary straightjacket on the Palestinian resistance prior to the opening of the Geneva conference on The provocation was crushed by the Palestinian fighters. All the Phalangist headquarters were attacked with machine guns and mortars; lactones did stores belongine to tie raaanosis were ownam ted He the same time the reformist left warned against any army intervention and the Prime Minister Solh, himself a bourgeois reformist, refused to show of force Under these conditions a show of force by the army would have been the people of Indochina. clearly exposed as an action to support the Christian far right; the Mus. lim majority of the population opposed it. The Phalangists lost the first They then prepared for the second round. The first step was to proke tne resignaton or the poin covemment. •ne rudiangist minist notew orowee ov men ales ane me reoresentauves or oner e italist factions. On 15 May, Solh was compelled to resign, but not be fore publicly denouncing the Phalangist plot. Days later the Phalangist A PER On 4o may a new government was announced. seven generdis....anc a banker! The mixture was well thought out: several generals capable Far from frightening the people, the announcement of the military government provoked a general insurrection in all the Muslim regions of an insurrection that fused with the Palestinian resistance al ready in place. Barncades went up everywhere, sandbags were laid out armed blockades were tormed and advance posts crasned witn the rna angists, who had been joined by all the reactionaries of the Christian neighbourhoods of Beirut.
religious leaders nus extraordinary armed insurrection overtorew the muitary dover ment in just three days A general assembly of religious leaders, notables and bourgeois Muslims were forced to repeat in words the demand which the insurgent masses were attirming in acuon on to maw to military government presented its resignation: the Phalangist plot hac failed, the capitalist order was shaken, and American imperialism re ceived a new slap in the face after the blows that had been dealt it by The bitter fighting in Beirut today is the continuation of this fierce struggle. Its successful conclusion will depend on the ability of revolu tionaries to bring out the anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist character of the conflict and prevent the co-option of the movement by the Muslin capitalists. For the Stalinists, the struggle against the capitalist far right is carried out in alliance with the moderate and reformist bourgeoisie. For the revolutionaries, the struggle against the far right is only a spring board for the struggle against the bourgeoisie as a whole! 'This is the real nature of the 'freedom of the press"
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SQUATTERS DEMENA: FAR