Red Star Over Palestine: The Communist Movement

Jacobin Radio

Jacobin

Socialism, History, News, Left, Jacobin, Alternative, Socialist, Politics

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 5 April 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For many years, Palestine had one of the strongest left-wing movements in the Arab world, represented by prominent figures such as Leila Khaled and Ghassan Kanafani. At the beginning of the First Intifada in the 1980s, Palestinian left groups were the main challengers to the hegemony of Fatah. Although the Palestinian Left has lost much of its influence since the 1980s, they still play an important role today.

Red Star Over Palestine: Histories of the Palestinian Left is a six-part series from Long Reads exploring radical movements and progressive organizations of the region. We’ll be looking at the experience of Palestinian communism and the left-wing currents inside the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organization. We’ll also be looking at the outsized impact of the Left on Palestinian cultural life.

This first episode focuses on the communist movement in Palestine from its early years until the 1960s.

Red Star Over Palestine is hosted by Daniel Finn and produced by Conor Gillies. Music provided by Fadi Tabbal.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, my name's Daniel Finn, and the Features Editor for Jacobin, and I host the Long Reeds podcast for Jacobin Radio.
0:10.2	This is the first episode of a series called Red Star Over Palestine, Histories of the Palestinian Left.
0:16.7	The exit polls got it wrong. The faction founded by the late Yasser Arafat was roundly defeated by the radical Islamic organisation Hamas.
0:25.6	Over the last 25 years, since the beginning of the second in to Fada, the rivalry between Fata and Hamas has dominated the field of Palestinian politics.
0:35.6	The government took control of the Gaza Strip last week,
0:38.3	splitting the Palestinian territories into effectively two separate areas.
0:42.3	What's happening in Gaza is unprecedented.
0:45.3	Second day in a row that the power struggle between the rival factions spilled over from Gaza into the West Bank.
0:51.3	A committee will be formed from the two parties, Fatah and Hamas, including all the other
0:56.3	Palestinian political parties.
0:57.8	...contradictory messages about prospects of national reconciliation and peace with Israel.
1:04.5	The focus on that rivalry with all its consequences has overshadowed the existence of another
1:09.9	political tradition in Palestine.
1:12.6	We believe that thoughts or the socialist thoughts, scientific socialist theory,
1:20.6	is the way for the liberation of Palestine.
1:25.6	For many years, Palestine had one of the strongest left-wing movements in the Arab world,
1:31.3	represented by prominent figures such as Leila Khaled and Gassan Kanafani.
1:36.3	We are a small, brave nation who are going to fight to the last drop of blood.
1:42.3	Why won't your organization engage in peace talks with the Israelis?
1:47.0	Why not just talk?
1:49.0	Talk to whom?
1:50.0	Talk to the Israeli leaders.
	...

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