Class, Nation, and Political Organization

The Anti-Zionist Left in Israel/Palestine

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11212563
AutoresRan Greenstein (0000-0001-6910-4420, University of the Witwatersrand, autor de correspondencia)
Año2009
Volumen75
Número1
Páginas85-108
Fecha de publicación2009-01-01
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInternational Labor and Working-Class History (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0147-5479 • E-ISSN: 1471-6445
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0147547909000076
OpenAlexW2059970060
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas9
Referencias citadas15

The paper discusses historical lessons offered by the experience of two leftwing movements, the pre-1948 Palestinian Communist Party, and the post-1948 Israeli Socialist Organization (Matzpen). The focus of discussion is the relationship between class and nation as principles of organization. The Palestinian Communist Party was shaped by forces that shaped the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: British rule, Zionist ideology and settlement practices, and Arab nationalism. At intensified conflict periods it was torn apart by the pressures of competing nationalisms. By the end of the period, its factions agreed on one principle: the need to treat members of both national groups equally, whether as individuals or as groups entitled to self-determination. This position was rejected by both national movements as incompatible with their quest for control. In the post-1948 period, Matzpen epitomized the radical critique of Zionism. It was the clearest voice speaking against the 1967 occupation and for restoration of Palestinian rights. However, it never moved beyond the political margins, and its organization failed to provide members with a sustainable mode of activism. It was replaced by a new mode, mobilizing people around specific issues instead of presenting an overall program. The paper concludes with suggestions on how the Left may use these lessons to develop a strategy to focus on the quest for social justice and human rights

Communism · Ideology · Nationalism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Settlement (finance · Sociology · Zionism · Gender Studies · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Law · Middle East Politics and Society