Palestinians Are Hurt by Split, Deserted by Allies, Pravda Says
The Soviet Communist Party daily Pravda said Sunday that the Palestinians have been weakened by a factional split and abandoned by many Arab governments.
The assessment was given in an analysis of the Middle East related to continued fighting in Beirut refugee camps between Palestinian fighters and the Shia Muslim group Amal.
“Concerned with their own domestic and local regional problems, many (Arab) governments have in effect turned their back on the Palestinians and other forces facing Israeli expansion,” a Pravda commentator said.
“The situation has been exacerbated by the fact that the ulcers of schism and disagreement have blighted the Palestinian movement itself, whose leadership is now clearly weakened,” he added.
It was a rare reference in the Soviet media to the effects of a two-year split in the ranks of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
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