Communist Party of Israel

The change we desire:

The communist party arose as a force for profound social change. That change is more essential now to counter capitalism than ever before. Modern capitalism at the beginning of the 3rd millenium is a regime characterized by essential contradictions, absence of social justice, destruction of the world's ecology, and governance by the power of wealth. The arch representative of modern capitalism is American imperialism. Now, more than ever before in the past, the choice offered humanity is socialism or capitalism that becomes progressively more and more brutal.The change we desire requires a party with a well defined platform and a profound obligation to its values. It must be a party that offers a totally new politics. Our new politics is the common interest rather than the politics of functionaries whose object is personal careers and advancement. The Communist party proffers communal obligation, communal responsibility, modesty, and self-criticism.We have not always correctly understood the path to change. We must learn from past errors. During the 20th century there were days when also Communists strayed into error. From cases as these, too, we must learn. We must continue to analyze these instances. Communism has erred in the past. These errors must be analyzed and the lessons we learn from them must be brought to bear on our future conduct. But under no circumstances should past failures lead us to conclude that the endeavor to change is unnecessary, or that it should be replaced with instant politics, that is to say, with politics that pursue only the immediately attainable--now, at this moment. From our perspective, every political and social act that we introduce and are involved in is a stratum laid in the socialist revolution.In this country, the Communists were the only ones, who proposed a true Jewish-Arab politics to replace the paths of separate Jewish and Arab political roads. As with our forefathers, our struggle against nationalism continues. We still regard the essential division as not between Jews and Arabs, but between those who have an interest in the exploitation of social classes and those who want to change such policy.The communists play a major role in the construction of the political, cultural, and social life of the Arab population in Israel. Long exposure to the party led the Arab population to trust it. The party had the courage to speak the truth, even though unpopular. The party, which continued the struggle even during the most difficult periods even during times of despair, offered Arabs hope and possibility for change.A historic goal of the party was to achieve a break through amongst the Jewish population. For many years our Jewish members were alone and swimming against the current. But in the past few years, there are increasing calls, even amongst the Jews, for peace, social equality, and environmental justice. Increasing numbers of people are demanding real social change and believe it is necessary. We must reach these people. We need these people to strengthen the power of the revolutionary move towards socialism.We hold out our hands to all willing to join us even a part of the way, and propose a joint venture on the basis of a minimal platform. Such a program led to the establishment of The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) in 1977. Unfortunately, we have to admit that despite our efforts, we failed to form the Jewish-Arab left united front, so necessary in the Israeli arena. But we are unwilling to give up. We will do everything to realize a broad Arab-Jewish front having a promising platform that will enable these two peoples to escape from the present crisis, and to find the road to peace and equality.The past years have been difficult. The daily political struggles in which we have found ourselves have obscured our long range goals. Pressing political matters have diverted us from intellectual analysis, ideological goals, and ideological education. This lapse has led to organizational weakness and to the emergence of various problems in the life of our party.These difficulties notwithstanding, we don't intend to concede defeat. Instead, we intend to turn our 24th congress into an engine for change and to engage in a renewed building of the Communist Party as a party of true revolution: a party that unites courageous analysis with daily class, social, and political struggle; a party that unites true democratic dialogue with operational discipline that obligates each member; a party whose members are true partners; a party that has true collective leadership.As ever, our road is not an easy one. But it is the right road. It is the road that proposes a new future. It is the road that proposes meaningful action for the common interest.Everybody who agrees with the above principles should join us in our endeavors to reach our goals.

New Political Conditions - New Political Responses

Our recognition, that we are working under new political conditions, influences all our acts. President Bush's programmatic speech on June 25, 2002 on the Middle East stipulates these new conditions. Bush the son publicly plans a military attack on Iraq. Ten years ago his father led a similar attack. But there is a major difference between father and son. Bush the father had to pay a price in order to form a Middle East Alliance: he had to assemble the Madrid conference. The son, in contrast, links the plan to attack Iraq with a call to eliminate Arafat. In other words, Bush calls for the burial of all agreements achieved to date with the Palestinians. It is important to note that Bush's speech received some support from European states. In addition to British and German support, the new French foreign minister's enthusiastic support of the practical ideas in Bush's speech is noteworthy (actually there is only one practical idea in his speech, mentioned above.What underlies the difference between the policies of Bush the father and Bush the son? In 1992 the American administration used the collapse of the Soviet Union to form a coalition for the war against Iraq, but still felt obliged to pay a political price in the form of the Madrid conference. Ten years later, the American administration is the sole super power, and therefore believes that it can plan an attack without having to form a coalition and without paying any political price. Instead it sees as sufficient the pretense to create a coalition by declarations without investing any real effort in so doing.This new balance of power, more apparent than ever since the terrorist attack in the USA on September 11, 2001, has major political implications.It's important to remind ourselves that politics is always conducted in a defined area of power relationships. Politics that ignore power relationships is blind. Wise political thinking identifies cracks in power relationships and internal contradictions so as to advance towards desired goals. Aims are achieved only by widening the realm of the possible.Our politics must not be dictated by daily events that lead from one catastrophe to another. We cannot afford to stand on the sidelines merely condemning events. Our duty is to form an active political initiative, capable of exploiting every crack to advance our goals, a political initiative able to concentrate maximum force in order to achieve a positive change in existing conditions. To hope for external deliverance to solve our problems is naive. No foreign intervention can free us from our historical obligation.In the present dismal conditions, it is not given to fully realize the vision of the just and stable peace that we stand for. This does not mean that we should abandon our desire for the just and stable peace that would allow both our peoples to enjoy security and economic prosperity. The vision of a just peace must guide us to formulate political goals that can be achieved under present conditions. Our immediate objective must be to extricate ourselves from the present political crisis, which can lead to the catastrophic attempt to transfer the Arab population from here and to a war of mutual destruction. It is therefore our duty to mark out for ourselves and for the public a practical way to stop this dangerous deterioration and to start on the road of positive change.The internal political arena has witnessed the occurrence of a dangerous process. Within of the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the extreme Right has grown in power and is pushing the left into a corner. To confront this development, it is important to understand it thoroughly. The considerable swing to the right of the political scene does not indicate a reduction in popular support for two states for two peoples. On the contrary. Opinion polls consistently indicate, that a majority of Israelis (including voters for Likud) approve dismantling settlements and having a Palestinian state alongside the Israeli one. The major problem is that after the failure of Camp David, Prime Minister Barak and Foreign Minister Ben Ami succeeded, via a cooperative media, to convince a large majority of Israelis, that this solution is impossible, because the Palestinians are not yet ready for it. The majority of the population thus concluded that there is no option but the military one. This is the source of the contradiction, that while Israelis support the establishment of a Palestinian state and dismantling settlements, they at the same time support the Sharon policy of renewed conquest, occupation, and cruel oppression.From this perspective, the suicide bombers represent a policy of national suicide by those Palestinians who support it. It is national suicide because it hurts the innocent while further strengthening the enemies of peace in Israel and eroding the standing of the dovish forces. This is national suicide with respect to the existing power relationships, especially in the world that proceeded Sept. 11, 2001.Despair is growing in both the Palestinian and Jewish populations. Despair is a sure recipe for dangerous politics. To counter this requires broad political support. To solidify broad political support for change requires a solution that offers hope, a solution that points a way out of this crisis and a totally new direction. It is not easy to formulate a politics of hope during a time of despair. But if we don't take the initiative, no one else will.

The PCI Peace Plan

ICP views achieving just and stable Israeli-Palestinian peace as a vital part of the party program.1. The Peace agreements will be based on the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from all the territories occupied since the aggressive war in June 1967, and on the right of the State of Israel, of the Palestinian state and of all the Arab states to maintain sovereignty and to development in conditions of peace and security, will be respected.2. The Arab Palestinian people will implement its right for self-determination and West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East-Arab Jerusalem.3. A just solution for the problem of the Palestinian refugees will be guaranteed, in accordance with the UN resolutions (which recognize their right to choose between returning to their homeland and receiving compensation), in the framework of the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.4. The annexation of East Jerusalem, which is occupied by Israel, will be annulled. East Jerusalem will be under the sovereignty of the independent Palestinian state. West Jerusalem will be recognized as the capital of the state of Israel. East Jerusalem will be recognized as the capital of the independent Palestinian state, in accordance with the will of each nation in their state. In the framework of the peace settlement there is room for agreed arrangements concerning the entire city of Jerusalem that will guarantee cooperation between the two parts of the city, etc.5. A peace settlement will necessitate the dismantling of all settlements in the Occupied Territories.6. In the framework of the peace treaty with Syria, the Golan Heights will be returned to Syria.7. Israel will withdraw from every piece of territory of Lebanon (including Shabba).8. The peace arrangements will be entrenched in agreements between the states, which will constitute legal basis for coexistence between them and for non-intervention of one state in the internal affairs of another state. All of the parties will annul all claims of a state of war and will respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region, including the State of Israel and the independent Palestinian state, and their right to live within recognized and secure borders, free from threats and from use of force.9. .Disarming the region of all nuclear weapons and all types of mass destruction weapons - chemical and biological. Israel will join the International Convention for the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.In light of the years-long sediment of wars and mistrust, UN guarantees for the agreements would be beneficial.The PCI estimates that the Sharon-Peres government with its aspiration toward the chronic administering of the occupation tactics in the territories and the Bush administration with its desire to attack Iraq along with the support of the reactionary Arab countries will hamper any advance in the peace talks.The CPI considers it imperative to stop the curfew, the demolition of houses, the uprooting of trees, the murder of leaders and the encroachment of IDF troops in the territories. Jews and Arabs should not be able to sit passively by while schools and clinics are being closed down by Israeli order in the occupied territories.

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