Until recently, Lebanon was the "quietest" country in the Middle East. After 1958 (when U.S. Marines landed to "restore order"), Lebanon regained its right to the title of the "Switzerland of the Middle East." It was a country of bankers, the treasury of the Arab world. It was one of the few countries in the Third World with an even slightly developed "national bourgeoisie." It was endowed with an extremely complex political system based on mutual neutralization of the various political currents through a delicate game of balancing oft the religious tendencies against each other The Palestinian resistance has shattered the Lebanese equilibrium. Since the Six-Day War, a current of popular support for the Palestinian resistance has continued to deepen. This support became apparent last year during the funerals of the Al Fatah fedayeen (guerrilla fighters) and after the Israeli raid on the Beirut airport. The current of popular support has population was duty bound to give its support been expressed in two principal ways organization of concrete aid to the Palestinian resistance groups and creation of armed nuclei in south Lebanon to resist a possible Israeli aggression.
During the first part of 1969, this current of support deepened to such an extent that the ourgeois pontician the leaders of the National aberal part for example completely lost control of the situation and Tone taeraserves compenca to reject the Inited Natione reenltion of Novamhar masses, that the restrictions the government had placed on the activity of the fedayeen be lifted. On April 21 the leaders of the seven left parties issued a joint manifesto protesting the limitations on the activity of the Palestinian commandos in Lebanon and calling for street demonstrations throughout the country.
The following parties signed the manitesto:
the Progressive Socialist party, the Movemen of Arab Nationalists, the Communist party, the Lebanese Progressive Front for Struggle Against Zionism, the Independent Progressives, the Ba'ath party, and the Lebanese Socialist party.
It is to be noted that the Progressive Socialist party is a reformist party that had a representative in the government of Rashid Karami (who was forced to resign April 24, the day after the demonstrations).
The manifesto declared, in essence, that the to the fedayeen, to aid them in achieving the total liberation of Palestine. The declaration protested Lebanese authorities permitting the Israelis to occupy frontier villages (which they fedayeen from liberating the for have done since 1948), and preventing the The manifesto called a popular demonstration in support of the fedayeen o Wednesday, April 23, beginning at 4.00p.m. I set the assembly point near the Pine Forest in beirut persons. The Palestinian demonstration had been banned. The authorities had made it known that the Palestinians were to limit themselves to sending a delegation... to the authorities! The police could not control the demonstration and fired on it. Armed Palestinians retaliated. People were killed on both sides.
In the afternoon, after the news came of the bloody clashes in Saida, the atmosphere in Beirut was explosive. The students of the Arab University of Beirut and the demonstrators responding to the call of the left parties fought furiously against the police, who had to retreat after exhausting their reserves of water and tear-gas grenades.
The situation was soon completely out of the control of the traditional political figures Former premier Yaffi as well as Kemal Joumblatt, the leader of the Progressive Sconcist tors Joumbat iven vento back on sought in vain to act as "conciliators. his "party's support the demonstration and told the paper L'Orient: "I recognize that I made an error. After the demonstration, in which I was said to be implicated, should have ordered the distribution of a countermanifesto condemning the street demonstrations. I was opposed to the demonstrations because I realized the danger they involved in the present situation.
Neither the state of emergencv. the curfew In Black Dwarf No. 9 (January 10th) we reported the savade reoression ot student and peasant leaders in Iran who were then on trial. The trial was visited by two foreign observers, William Wilson MP and ar Heatined later to the legality both reeding awyer Luig and to une lact undt torture nau been usea to det contessions rom une is cerendants Durina ine trial te conce arrested zi more intellectuals and other socialists who have now been locked up in the notorious Tehran prison "Ghas 3". Nothing has been heard of these men neither relatives nor lawyers have been allowe to visit them. As is usual the only news of them comes trom other prisoners who have been released: Inev nave testitied to the oruta treatment beind received by the imprisoned socialists. No doubt they too will be put on trial later on, after they nave been duly brutalised into admitting the crimes the he Iranian regime keeps up a steady propaganda camoaion in curooe one ot the most vicious nolice states in the world it managed to get the International Conference on Human Rights to hold its world session in Terhan last year; and although its predominantly rural population is plunged in poverty and disease its ruler, ine onan, spenos large sums or monev each vea on private holidavs at St. Moritz The Iranian regime is trying to divert the struggle of the Persian people from itself to foreign issues is intent on creating a crisis in the "Persian" Gulf area when Britain leaves. Arab rulers on the other side are engauce ura sitar mignouevre to contro wndt unev call tne Arabian Guit, but as a rersian comrade said on ine last Palestinian Demo it is neither an Arabiar Gulf nor a Persian Gulf but an imperialist Gulf and the The Persian regime is a pillar of reaction in the Middle East, It is the main supplier of oil to both rael and south vietnam and it gave active backing to the Yemeni royalists during the recent civil war. The Kurdish tribes, the students and the socialist forces in was created by Anglo-L