Jebra Nicola, a former leader of the Palestine Communist Party (PCP). a long-time member of the International Executive Committee of the Fourth International, and more recently a leading theoretical con tributor to the Israeli Socialist Organisation, died in London on Saturday 28 December.
For over three decades comrade Nicola, better known to many as Abu Said, beld high the banner of revolutionary marxism in the Middie East. This, in such a total bastion of reaction as Zionist Israci, was no mean achievernent.
His death comes as a prievous loss to the Arah working class movement and to the Fouril International An assoss of departure the historical context that produced and was in turn produced by Abe Said.
COMMUNIST PARTY The PCP was born in 1922 out of a split within the Zionist Workers" Party. Following the split it affilated to the Third (CorammunestiInternational. A sigleadership was deported to Russia in Lie late 1920s and 1930s by the British Mandate aathorities, who then goverted the arca, With the deponcration of the Third International they all Tell victimis to Stalin's purgos A new generation of warking class leaders, more fandy in tone wich Scal inism, then picked up the reigns of Lire Le silar processs were hanpenini in other parts of the Arab world.
Abu Said was the sort of exception that die mort than just prove the rule For in his isolated person was concertrated not orly the volce of political opposition to the equivoca sons of the PCP-hetween Zionise and Arah natlonaliso-but also the twing sparit of what once was a revolutionary International. In the 1940's he was removed from all functions of leadership within the PCP. His crolution 1o. Trotskyism and to tho ranks of the I ourth International in which he semained till bis MAIZPEN In 1963 Said joined the Israeli Socialist Organisation (Motzpen), which nad been Lounou in J9ne by a smal nucleus of lewish revolutionarios exp elled from the PCP. Matepen, largely as rojected Zionism and came to the fundamental recognition that objectively the lety revolved around acceptance or rej action of Zionism Furthermore. Said brought into Matnation (artificially tragmented by imp erialism following World War One) in opposition to the tien prevailing Stalinist conception of different. Arab nations in Irag, Syria. Egept, etc. In so doing. comtade Said drew a direct link with the in 1927, and despite the opposition of the carly revolutionary leadership of the PCP, that the degenerating Comintem reversed its stand an the question of the oljective unity of the Arah world Both these facets of the 1SO programme were integrated within the pers pective of a socialist revolution through aut the Middle bast as the only historical ancluding the national question, Upont these loandations an authentically Jewish-Arah organisation emerged in lorael that was qualitatively differont from the old PCP, in that it finniy rejected -while never equatine-both Jouish and Arab faris of nationalisa. These were tremenimportance the limited number af cadres who constitated the 150.
However the radicalisation that swept the Arabi worid following the 1967 6o feat in the Sie Day War, and that which occurred troughoal Europe Tollowing the May 1968 aarising. combined to esert their objective prossures on the situat janin Israel. A programme fer the Middle East revolution. isolaled from a latal world perspective, was no longer tenable. In 1971 the 150 split into twa main groupings, and Abu Said-in ac cordance with the logic of his whole lite's work-joined the ranks of the ISO (Marxist), Isracli soction of the Fourtl PROGRAMME In Fopland, coltrade Stid was probably best Snown for an article jointly ariten with Moshe Machover entitled Arab Revolution and the National Problemis in the Arab East', wich appoared in the Summer 1933 Issue of Internationai (vol. 2. 00. 2).
Wo draw acteation to this article be cause it summarises another of comsade Sald's central thoonetical contributions to the development of a programme for the Arab revolution. Said was literally the first Arab ever tn realise that it was in the Objective interests of the sirugge against Zionism and for a socialist Arab Fast to roopprise programmalically the right of the Israeh nation to self determination, within the framework of a socialist Middie Fast. Although mach subseguent debatu has raged over this question both inside and outside the Intornational, what counts nhove all is the fact that contrade Said creatively applied the mancist meth od to the concreteness of the national question in she Maddie Fast, This has re sulted in an parietimont of the tlicoretical heritage of marxism on the nationel LASSEOI ricabee of our loss in the death of Abu Said, it is not necessary co agree or disag tec with this or that point. It is enough to realise that Ahu Said, Ike a stubbom. conacious and inmovable rock, never flinched fron: the side of the working class. Iris to Lis quality in the man that we any our doopest and humblest respect, Sa eh Juafar MEMORIAL MEETING FOR JABRA NICHOLA Friday 17 January at 7.30 pm in Smell Hall, Canay Hail, Red Lion Square Speakers include: Char ie Von Gelderen, Tony Cliff, Moshe Machover, Aliea Ori (144 pages)
In conclusion, to appreciate the signDavey on the debate currently taking place in India on the question of the mode of production which exists in the sub-continent; the beginning of a lengthy analysis of the Chinese Cultural Revolution; and articles on Sri Lanka, the Naxalites, and the struggle in the Arab East.
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Lenny Bruce - the comic the state drove to death he used his humour in the service of Lenny Bruce: the comedian as soc ial critic and secular moralist by Frank Kofsky (Pathfinder Press, 80p)
Because he used the words fuck" or all of Bruce's jokes put together "cocksucker' occasionally " No, because was getting under way in the mid-60s.
from a so-called Chriscian establishment: The Tenth Commandment doesn't say "Thou Shalt Not Kili, *Goddamn the priests and the rab