Red Star Over Palestine

A new six-episode series from Jacobin explores histories of the Palestinian left.

For many years, Palestine had one of the strongest left-wing movements in the Arab world, represented by prominent figures such as Emile Habibi, Leila Khaled, and Ghassan Kanafani. At the beginning of the First Intifada in the 1980s, Palestinian left groups were still the main challengers to the hegemony of Fatah, although the Left has lost much of its influence in the period since then. Red Star Over Palestine: Histories of the Palestinian Left is a six-part series exploring the experience of Palestinian communism and the left-wing currents inside the Palestine Liberation Organization. The series also looks 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 with music by Fadi Tabbal.

A new left-wing movement takes shape under the banner of the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organization, with the leadership of figures such as George Habash and Nayef Hawatmeh. Red Star Over Palestine is hosted by Daniel Finn and produced by Conor Gillies with music by Fadi Tabbal.

We discuss two of the most prominent figures associated with Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine: Ghassan Kanafani and Leila Khaled. Red Star Over Palestine is hosted by Daniel Finn and produced by Conor Gillies with music by Fadi Tabbal.

In Lebanon, Palestinian radicals find a new base and hope to launch a wider Arab revolution. Red Star Over Palestine is hosted by Daniel Finn and produced by Conor Gillies with music by Fadi Tabbal.

We explore the period from the First Intifada — a high-point for the Palestinian left-wing movement — to the Oslo Accords. Red Star Over Palestine is hosted by Daniel Finn and produced by Conor Gillies with music by Fadi Tabbal.

Our final episode examines how the Left responded to the framework of the Oslo Accords, as Hamas became the main force articulating opposition. Red Star Over Palestine is hosted by Daniel Finn and produced by Conor Gillies with music by Fadi Tabbal.