-Commentary--- >
Fighting distraction, avoidance, futility
By DAVID NO VICK
Students who show an interest in
shaping their future at the University
face three problems: distraction by
other student needs, avoidance by
governing entities, and finally a sense
of futility.
The •'distraction” is that erf having to
compete for support in the ASUO. the
only real path now open for “student
input." for the ASUO is not set up to act
effectively in this area. Its purpose, and
certainly its major activity in terms erf
money and time spent, is to distribute
funds to various clamoring student
factions, whose pleas are obviously
louder than the voices asking for help in
establishing a non-trivial role in
University governance.
The ‘avoidance" is that of a system
hampered by the inertia erf a design for
governance inherited from the times
when students were taught instead of
being encouraged to learn, the times
when students had to accept the
V
University as a substitute for parental
authority instead of bong accepted as
adults.
The "futility” is that of a string at
University decisions in which the
voices, and so the needs, erf students
have been passed over "Hus is the
result of a system which seems to
discourage student participation in
direct proportion to the importance erf
the issues being considered. For
evidence, turn to the figures for student
membership on student-faculty com
mittees.
Last year students voted over
whelmingly to abolish the ASUO
Senate, no doubt as an expression of
dissatisfaction with a numbs* erf things
persons and principles But in that vote,
they chose to aim few a system of joint
student-faculty governance, and in
doing so students took the first step in
solving the three problems mentioned
above.
How?
First, co-governance would separate
the distinctly different functions erf
support for student unions and par
ticipation in educational decision
making. Second, it would ensure
participation in the actual process of
decision-making—not just provide
more “input” for others to consider.
And third, while one cannot expect all
student problems to clear up by a single
institutional change, those problems
could no longer be ignored. Of course,
objections have been and will be
raised: “Students are transients and
will not consider the true welfare of the
University;” or, “Students are just not
capable of reaching rational
decisions ” The latter, it seems to me,
is merely bigotry, and the former is
hypocrisy If length of stay is such an
overriding concern, why then is no
outcry raised to prevent faculty
members with less than, say, four
years employment from participating
too"* In fact, students may be on
campus for only four years, but their
education must serve for a lifetime.
Faculty, too, would benefit from a
system of co-govemance Those who
attend faculty meetings are aware of
how cumbersome and insensitive that
process is. Those who do not attend are
aware of the reasons for non
participation. In any event, a
University Senate with delegated
authority would attract those with
sufficient interest to attend the
meetings, and be much more efficient
in decision-making—and should
students be included, more sensitive as
well.
The power of the faculty in affecting
University policy has been likened by
some to that exerted from a
wheelchair. But if faculty power is in a
wheelchair, then student power is lying
on a stretcher on the sidewalk. We,
students and faculty, are invalids from
a systemic disorder, and must look to
mutual reinforcement for cure.
Toward that end. I suggest a system
of co-govemance, in a joint student
faculty senate.
Novick was a member and acting
chairman of the ASUO Co-governance
Negotiating Committee last summer.
J
-Commentary
Israel and the Third World
By E. Amasha
To make the relation between Israel and
tbe Third World clear, two factors must be
emphasized: Israel is a white European
settler state mi the Afro-Asian continent
and it was established and is maintained
by Western imperialism.
Israeli society has been shaped by the
process of colonization The permanent
conflict between the settler society and the
indigenous displaced Palestinian Arabs
has never stopped. This continued op
position on the part of the Palestinians has
also influenced the development of Israeli
sociological, political and economical
structure As Dayan. Israeli Minister of
Defense, himself stated in a speech at the
burial of Roy Rut berg, a kibbutz member
killed by a Palestinian guerilla m 1856.
-We are a settler generation, and without
the steel helmet and the cannon, we cannot
build a house or plant a tree " He went on
to say. the Palestinians have a good case
since we are cultivating their fields in
front of their very eyes." Also these two
statements completely shatter the Zionist
mythology about the “Promised Land"
and making tbe desert bloom.”
Israeli society is not only a settler
society shaped by colonizing an already
popuiaieo country, n is aiso a society
which benefits from unique privileges In
19% Israel received 10 per cent of all aid
given to underdeveloped countries. The
authors of "'Hie Class Nature of Israeli
Society" state: “Israel is a unique case in
the Middle East it is financed by im
perialism without being exploited by
it.. Imperialism used Israel for its political
and military purposes and paid for this by
economic support ”
Oscar Gass, an American economist
who at one time acted as an economic
advisor to the Israeli government,
recently wrote: “What is unique in this
development process...is the factor of
capital inflow...During the 17 years (1949
1965) Israel received $6 billion more of
imports of goods and services than she
exported. For the 21 years (1948-1968) the
impart surplus would be in excess of $7Vs
billion. This means an excess of some 12650
per person during the 21 years for every
person who lived in Israel (within the pre
June 1967 borders) at the end of 1968. And
of this surplus from abroad only about 30
per cent came to Israel under conditions
which call for a return outflow of
dividents, interest or capital...”
British capital has also been developing
close ties with Israel. Twenty per cent of
Israel’s imports come from Britain, and
trade has nearly doubled since the June
war Marks and Spencers, a British firm
which was the target of Palestinian
guerrilla attacks in 1968, buy 2-3 million a
year of goods from Israel, one-third being
textiles and the rest being oranges,
vegetables and fruit juices. British
financial interests, led by Sir Isaac
Wolf son and Charies Gore, are also major
participants. Wolf son is the Chairman of
Great Universal Stores (GUS) in Britain,
which has a 30 per cent share of GUS In
dustries 'Israeli Wolf son and Gore
cooperate with Israel’s largest domestic
capitalist group, the Mayer brothers, in
real estate in Israel and Africa, and built
the only skyscraper in the country, the
Shalom tower in Tel Aviv.
The entire existence of Israel is founded
on the special political and military role
which the Zionists and the settler society
fulfill in the Middle East Ha'aretz, a daily
Israeli newspaper, stated in 1951: ‘Israel
has been given a role not unlike that of
watchdog One need not fear that it will
exercise an aggressive policy towards the
Arab states if this will contradict the in
terests of Britain and the USA. But should
the West choose fra* one reason or another
to close its eyes one can rely on Israel to
punisn severely inose at me neignoonng
states whose lack of manners towards the
West has exceeded the proper limits.”
Israel has fulfilled her duty to western
Imperialism many times She was serving
the imperalists during her military
aggression in 1952 and 1954. In 1956, when
Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. Israel
collaborated with the imperialist powers
of Britain and France to undermine the
revolutionary regime of NasEer.
The same holds true for Syria—
whenever social or economic development
took place in Syria it has been met by the
opposition of imperialism and aggression
from Israel The motivation for this
aggression on the part of Israel was
revealed prior to the 1967 war when Mr.
Eshko. former prime minister of Israel,
declared that the Israeli army would drive
to Damascus to change the government
during the confrontation between the
foreign oil companies and the Syrian
government
The political role that Israel serves for
imperialism is that of a channel through
which money and ideology can be fun
neled to neo-colonial countries in Asia and
Africa. U.S. imperialism often finds it
more convenient to deal with Afro-Asian
countries through the use of a third
country. A joint project has been set up
between the US. and Israel to:
1) place highly trained Israeli
' experts'' at the disposal of African states,
often in strategically important positions.
2) give specialized training in Israel
itself to various categories of African
personnel, including students, civil ser
vants. labor leaders and military cadres;
this training is usually given quickly and
efficiently; and
3) set up joint economic enterprises
between the Israeli businessmen and their
government and African states and
private business
Since the 1950 s. Israel's aid program to
Africa has been growing, serving as it
grows both Israel’s specific interests and
the broader interests of world im
perialism One of the main means of im
plementing this policy is the trade union
organization of Israel, the Histadrut The
Afro-Asian Institute, a subsidiary of
HistSdrut, trains thousands of delegates
from 85 African. Asian and Latin
American countries and sends them back
to occupy high positions in their respective
countries. Arnold Rivkin, former director
of the African Research Project’ at the
‘Center for International Studies’
organized by the CIA at the
Massacnuseties institute of lecnnoiogy,
wrote: “Israel s role as a Third force could
also be reinforced...A Free World state
wishing to enlarge its assistance flow (i.e.
control and influence) to Africa might
channel some part of it through Israel
because of Israel's special qualifications
and demonstrated acceptability to many
African nations”
George Meany. President of the AFL
CIO, which finances the Afro-Asian In
stitute. clearly stated: “The Histadrut is a
national center which has worked for the
cause of democracy and liberty in the free
world, particularly in Asia and Africa,
through the intermediary of its Afro-Asian
Institute.”
Israels pro-Western, pro-colonial
policy, both politically and militarily has
been shown by its continuing support for
all western imperialist actions in Africa
and Asia, even when these actions were
opposed by mo6t other Afro-Asian coun
tries. Israel supported France when
France was conducting atomic tests in the
African Sahara Desert. Hie African
peoples were enraged at the disregard
being shown for them, the nuclear
radiation from these tests was a definite
menace When US. Marines landed in
Jordan and Lebanon and threatened the
1968 Iraqi revolution, Israel endorsed the
intervention. In 1961, Israel supported
Tshombe’s secession movement in
Katanga Israel also provided Portugal
with arms to exterminate African
nationalists in Angola and Mozambique. A
Guardian correspondent asked Spartacus
Monimanbu. commander of the Angolan
Peoples Liberation Movement, about the
sources of military aid for Portugal, the
latter pointed out that they were NATO
and Israel. Israel voted against the in
dependence erf Aden and Radio Israel still
backs the Yemeni royalists in their
reactionary war against the Republican
regime
Israel comes into its own with sensitive
and highly specialized military and police
intelligence training. A myriad of
programs provide African states the type
of military and police know-how required
to build up effective internal security
forces designed to protect these neo
colonialist governments from being
overthrown by their own populations. The
practical help Israeli military training
provides the objectives of U.S. im
perialism is best illustarted by the
situation in the Congo, one of Africa's
richest and most strategically located
countries The U.S. engineered a UN in
tervention which helped topple the
uamumDa government, wmcn was op
posed to U.S. imperialist intervention, and
imposed one which would be servile to the
U.S The U.S. sought to maintain an active
role in the Congo, but it needed to diminish
an already overextended and politically
embarrassing role. Israel was to do the
dirty work for the U.S. It was the Israelis
who took on the task of training the
Congo's crack elite para-commando
squadron Israel is assisting the U.S. to
build up elite sections within important
military institutions which have the most
significant U.S. penetration (Ethiopia and
Congo (Kinshasa) and Iran). These
programs give the Israelis and through the
Israelis, the United States, intimate access
and influence in the internal development
of the respective countries. The Israeli
programs are tied into a larger CIA and
Western intelligence operation.
This is Israel, which western im
perialism has to preserve. Now that Israel
is getting a bloody nose in this con
frontation, Nixon must send $850 million of
military equipment and grant $2.2 billion
more This is why Israel as an oppressive
colonial institution against Arabs, Jews
and other Third World people must be
destroyed if the Middle East is to begin its
economical and social development.
Amasha is a graduate la sociology and a
member of the Arab Stadeat Organization.