The Palestine Communist Party 1919-1948: Arab and Jew in the Struggle for Internationalism

by Musa Budeiri

This history of the Palestinian Communist Party upends the caricature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an ancient religious blood feud. Musa Budeiri shows how the complex history of the Palestinian Left before the Zionist destruction of historic Palestine was defined by secularism and solidarity between Arab and Jewish workers. With a new introduction and afterword by the author.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Middle East, Theory

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Eli Kaufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give this book a better review, because the topic is so interesting and so little written about (to my knowledge and at least in English), but unfortunately it was quite dry, mostly descriptive, repetitive, and riddled with typos. It felt a bit like a chore. That being said it was great to read in such detail about a group (or groups after the party split) that was striving for a united Palestine, seeing where they succeeded, where they failed, and the reasons why both materially and ideologically. It was also interesting to read about the party's relationship with international communism and the soviet union, and the way it shifted over time. Would recommend to those willing to push through the weeds!

[Zach Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great and important history that situates the colonial project of Zionism within the framework of WWII, the Soviet Union, and the Comintern. It does a great job of following both the Jewish and Arab movements, their divergences, and their organizing strategies. Anyone who's interested in the political organizing in Palestine during the British Mandate through the formation of Israel will love this.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed but it really is about the Palestine Communist Party, and not its place within wider working-class struggles in Palestine. A massive focus on policy and literature, but some of the most interesting pieces of history (such as joint Jewish-Arab strikes) are mentioned only in passing without explanation or detail to their events.

[Hakan Sipahioğlu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benim için inanılmaz öğretici bir okuma oldu. Filistin önderliğinin ikinci dünya savaşında reel politik beklentilerle faşist cepheyle kurduğu temas yüzünden elinin zayıflayışı, Yahudi komünistlerin Filistin Yahudi cemaatinden sivillere de yönelen şiddet eylemlerini "bağımsızlık mücadelesi sürecinin zaruri yan ürünleri" olarak görmeye ve açıklamaya yönlendirilmelerinin ellerini zayıflatması, bir birlikte yaşam programı kurmakta atıl kalmanın neticeleri... Filistin sorununun tarihsel olarak ne kadar girift olduğunu gösterdiği kadar, ulusal sorun tartışmalarının devam ettiği tüm coğrafyalar için de aydınlatıcı.

[Brianna DeNamur · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m prefacing by saying this is my first DNF of the year. It was so well researched and the information was very useful which is why I tried to keep going with it. However, it was pretty dry and I found myself kind of forcing myself through it. I have it from the library for a few more months so maybe I’ll pick it up from time to time but right now I’m finishing it at page 92. I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if the interviews the author did for it were integrated differently so the story took more of a personable historical narrative.

[Irazú · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and well researched, but dry and with many typos. Useful for those interested in communist perspectives during Mandatory Palestine.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hoping for somewhat more personal/biographical experiences of organizers and members. For example, Budeiri interviewed Emil Habibi as part of his research; it would have been cool to hear about what drew him into the Marxist left, and what his experiences were like as a young member.

However, I can't really fault Budeiri for that sort of limitation. He set out to do an institutional history of the Palestine Communist Party and associated organizations, and he does (I think) a very good job. It's not a particularly uplifting history; almost more of a sequence of missed opportunities and strategic mistakes. But I also came away admiring the courage and dedication that it took to maintain a binational, multi-lingual, secular and anti-capitalist organization under those extremely difficult circumstances.