Democratic Palestine : 5 (ص 15)
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- Democratic Palestine : 5 (ص 15)
- المحتوى
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Analyzing the relation between Zionism and British
imperialism, Ghassan concludes that without the support of
imperialism in this stage Zionism could not have succeeded in
usurping Palestine after the Second World War. The British
slaughter of the revolt destroyed the leadership of the Palesti-
nian nationalist movement and inflicted heavy losses upon the
masses. Thus, «the period taken to complete the second chap-
ter of the Palestinian defeat - from the end of 1947 to the middle
of 1948 - was amazingly short, because it was only the conclu-
sion of a long and bloody chapter which had lasted from April
1936 to September 1939» (p.27).
In the period of the revolt, Ghassan points out that the
depth of the alliance between Zionism and British imperialism
clearly can be seen from the fact that British as well as Zionist
tactics and strategy were based on the existence of an
alliance. The Palestinian leadership, however was not able to
see or draw the political consequence of this fact, but believed
that British imperialism would give them concessions. This
was the only reason for them to stop the revolt in a situation
where British imperialism had taken a clear position for the
Zionist bourgeoisie, and only the force of the revolt itself objec-
tively served the interests of the Palestinian nationalist move-
ment, including its leadership. ’
Turning to the main Palestinian left-wing organization, the
Palestine Communist Party, Ghassan explains that already in
the early 20s and 30s, the progressive labor movement - Arab
as well as Jewish - had suffered crushing blows. The Zionist
movement sought to isolate and destroy the CP, most of
whose leaders were Jews who resisted being contained by
Zionist labor organizations. In 1930, the party admitted that it
had «adopted an erroneous attitude towards Palestinian
nationalism». However, the party proved incapable of carrying
out the task of mobilizing Palestinian Arabs. But despite their
small number, their relative isolation and their failure to reach
the Palestinian Arab masses, the communists threw all their
weight into the 1936 uprising. .
The aim of this analysis is of course not to minimize the
heroic struggle of the Palestinian nationalists, or to minimize
the immense brutality with which the revolt was crushed. On
the contrary, through the history of the. world, it has so many
times been demonstrated that imperialism is prepared to use
the most horrendous weapons at its disposal, when threatened
by a strong, popular anti-imperialist or socialist movement: the
Paris Commune, the Spanish Civil War, the Greek Civil War,
Chile etc. However the world history also shows that a strong
revolutionary movement, which learns from its mistakes, can
achieve victory although having to fight the strongest power in
the world: the experience of the Russian Revolution, Cuba,
Vietnam, Democratic Yemen, etc.
Learning from history
In this way the studies of Ghassan Kanafani provide
necessary lessons for the Palestinian revolution of today.
True, the class composition of the Palestinian revolution has
changed, and the main imperialist force in this area is no longer
Britain but the USA. Yet because Ghassan analyzes the class
forces of the revolution and its strategy when fighting Zionism
and necessarily imperialism and Arab reaction, his conclusion
is as central now as it was then. Though the Palestinian
bourgeoisie truly is fighting for the national cause and has a
role to play in the revolution, it cannot lead the revolution to vic-
tory. Also, as Ghassan never ceased to point out, the network
of imperialism clearly puts Arab reaction on the enemy side.
Therefore understanding and fighting imperialism becomes
as central for Ghassan as it as for Lenin, when he pointed out
the consequences of imperialism as the highest stage of
capitalism. Therefore Ghassan’s works are not only important
for understanding the conditions for the Palestinian revolutio-
nary struggle, but also a contribution to the world-wide anti-
imperialist struggle.
Continuously Ghassan showed that imperialism is not a
myth or a word of the mass media, it is a mobile body, an
octopus which colonizes and exploits, spreading itself through
western monopolies. Addressing himself to a group of stu-
dents, Ghassan said, «The goal of education is to correct the
march of history. For this reason we need to study history and
apprehend its dialectics, in order to build a new historical era,
in which the oppressed will live, after their liberation by
revolutionary violence, from the contradiction which captivated
them.» Ghassan had not only achieved the knowledge of
dialectical materialism, but applied it in his work. The concept
that he believed in and lived for was distinct in what he said and
wrote. As the primary contradiction, the one with imperialism,
Zionism and racism, is an international contradiction, and the
only solution is to destroy these threats by a united and stead-
fast armed struggle, he encouraged and raised the spirit of
internationalsm among all the people he addressed or knew.
This belief made him reject all compromises, all bourgeois and
deviating solutions, which do not encompass or apply the
thesis and deveiopment of the revolution and its long path
towards liberation, striking the interests of imperialism and
consolidating with the masses.
Ghassan Kanafani’s commitment remains, as does his
deep love for the cause of the oppressed masses and their
struggle, and the results of his work with them, for which he
was martyred. @
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- Democratic Palestine : 5
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- المنشئ
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