Democratic Palestine : 13 (ص 22)

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عنوان

Democratic Palestine : 13 (ص 22)

المحتوى

Palestinian Left Unity
A Current Assessment
The following article deals with the unity of the Palestinian revolutionary democratic forces, a question
of primary concern to the PFLP, especially in the past few years.
A major part of this article is devoted to an evaluation of
the experience of the Joint Leadership with the DFLP. This was
the first time the PFLP tried to implement its convictions about
left unity in practice. Though this experiment failed, it contri-
buted valuable experience which will be applied in future unity
attempts.
In addition, the overall events in the Palestinian arena at
that time (summer 1983 - autumn 1984) provide a background
for understanding why the PFLP is today involved in an
alliance of a different character. We mean the Palestine
National Salvation Front (PNSF) which was established as a
political alliance to meet the immediately pressing need for
confronting the Palestinian right-wing’s deviation, in order to
return the PLO to the national platform. The failure of the Joint
Leadership, and the formation of the PNSF, do not in any way
reflect lessened conviction on the part of the PFLP in the
necessity of uniting the left forces. On the contrary, the fact that
part of the Palestinian bourgeoisie has definitively deviated
from the goals of the national liberation struggle serves to
further underscore the need for a strong, united left represent-
ing the line of the working class.
Strategic perspectives
The PFLP is deeply convinced that the unity of the Pales-
tinian left forces is a precondition for victory. Our people’s
struggle, like any national democratic revolution, needs a
strong vanguard leadership. Ultimately this means the unity of
the left forces in a single communist party. This party would be
the leading force in a united national front, insuring the continu-
ation of the revolutionary process in the interests of the working
class and dispossessed masses.
With this long term perspective in mind, it is the duty of all
Palestinian left forces to find what concrete steps can be taken
to catalyze the unity process. Among the various left-wing con-
stellations that have emerged in the course of Palestinian
struggle, the PFLP deemed that the revolutionary democratic
forces, present in the framework of the PLO, were the optimal
point of departure for the unity process. These forces have all
adopted Marxism-Leninism and advocate the concept of trans-
formation from a revolutionary democratic standpoint to that of
the working class. As a result, they have similar strategies, and
share similar, if not identical, political positions, especially on
central issues.
immediate purposes
By starting with the revolutionary democratic forces
engaged in the Palestinian revolution, the unity process also
contributes to fulfilling more immediate goals. Chief among
these is providing a firm basis for Palestinian national unity.
22
Even before the Palestinian right’s definitive deviation, its
dominating position in the PLO was often employed to obstruct
genuine national unity. The revolutionary democratic forces,
on the other hand, share the Palestinian masses’ interests in
solid unity that would facilitate the total mobilization needed to
further the liberation struggle. If united, the revolutionary
democratic forces would be capable of confronting right-wing
trends and guarding against wrong policies, practices, devia-
tions and compromises that undermine our people's unity and
national goals. By uniting, the revolutionary democratic forces
could more decisively influence decision-making in the Pales-
tinian revolution; they could guarantee its continuity and make
a more substantial contribution to daily organizational work
and mass mobilization which strengthens the revolution as a
whole.
The effects of unifying the left would be qualitative, not
merely quantitative. The unity of two or more organizations
would constitute a force with much broader political, military
and mass influence than the simple merger of their ranks. Such
unity would gradually bring about a change in the balance of
forces in the Palestinian arena, favoring the progressive
forces. Moreover, the realization of left unity would have a sig-
nificant positive impact on the Palestinian revolution’s alliance
with the Arab national liberation movement and progressive
forces on the international level.
The Joint Leadership
The decision to form the Joint Leadership between the
PFLP and DFLP stemmed from the above considerations, par-
ticularly the struggle for genuine national unity and the possibil-
ity of confronting the right-wing from a position of strength

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Democratic Palestine : 13

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Democratic Palestine

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