ISRAELI soldiers murdered a 17-year old youth during riots in the West Bank town of El Bireh. They forced open shutters of shops which had shut down during a three-day general strike to of the civil Menachem Milson.
This is the real face of the supposedly humane set November 1981 to replace the military government that had occupied Lne West Bank and Gaza Strip since the 1967 war.
Officially, civil adfacilitate the transfer of sibilities, including maintenance ot law and order trom direct army hands 'coIne operative Palestinian functionaries. This was to lead towards some form of 'self-government'. Tactic But for the past fourteen years, the Israelis nave nad no success lie al tually such operative who could serve as credible *legitimate representatives' is, Palestinian collaboralols) undermine the strong influence of the PLO As their main tactic, the Israelis have revived an old creation y the creation 'self-help' Village Leagues. These leagues administration, Professor receive arms and governlocal conditions.
In many cases, particularly lulal alcas. the population has no choice but to to these leagues for their daily concerns.
Rural The Israeli government is counting on this depen dency traditional backwardness' ural establish a base for the leagues as a counterweight to elected urban represensuch as the mayors LalIves. of Nablus and Ramallah, who are openiy sympathetic to the PLO. These leagues have gained no popular support cities.
From the very beginning, the populations of the West Bank and Gaza Strip have made their opposi tion the 'CIVI administration' and Arab collaboration well known, general strikes, illass and & the assassination of Yussef elKhatib, head of the Ramallah league.
The Milson administration has responded with bullets, led cas. curfews, arrests, censorship, closing down Bir Zeit University and Al-Fajr newspaper for their "terrorist' connections. Dissolve But this has all been directed towards the 'extremists'. Now, discon certed by the positive response of Village League representatives to dan's cal tor detections the government has actualdissolved elected all local authority.
follows week's dissolution by Ariel petence Sharon of the National Committee. loose coordinating body of opposition. Given that, the past. Israell authorities have banished mayors and planted their cars, this may come as no sul list. Golan weeks after establishment of the Milson administration, the Israelis annexed the Golan Heights, an area never considered part pre-1948 Palestine the recent announcement that evacualec setters the Sina may be West Bank relocated settlements, is almost certain that the Israelis are have similar plans for the Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. can expect more Palestinian resistance rising out of the ashes of an already dead Camp David
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protest the dismissal of the town's mayor, İbrahim Tawil, for refusing to meet with head