This book is an essential primer on the Palestinian struggle from an internationalist and socialist standpoint. The new phase of genocidal violence unleashed after 7 October 2023 by the state of Israel against the Palestinian population makes it all the more necessary to strengthen solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle. This struggle, Daher argues, is inextricably linked to the revolutionary processes in the Middle East and North Africa. The combination of resistance in Palestine and regional revolution is the only realistic way to liberate Palestine and all the peoples of the region.
This primer helps to understand the historical roots of the conflict, addresses the geopolitical complexities of the region, traces the history of Palestinian resistance, and outlines a strategic orientation for struggle in the Middle East and North Africa and for solidarity in the rest of the world.
Joseph Daher teaches at the University of Lausanne and at the European University Institute in Florence. An anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist militant, he is the founder of the blog Syria Freedom Forever and author of the books Hezbollah: The Political Economy of Lebanon’s Party of God (Pluto, 2016) and Syria after the Uprisings (Pluto, 2019).
RECOMMENDATIONS
''This comprehensive history lays out the essential background for understanding Palestine and its place in the struggle for socialism. Unlike many accounts that focus simply on Israel’s on-going human rights atrocities, Joseph Daher situates Palestine in the context of more than a century of imperialist intervention in the Middle East. An important contribution that not only makes sense of the current moment, but also helps us think about future paths to liberation.''
- Adam Hanieh, Professor of Political Economy and Global Development, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS), University of Exeter.
''What light can a Marxist analysis and perspective bring to our understanding of the Question of Palestine? This useful primer provides an overview of how the various topics related to the question can be apprehended from a socialist internationalist standpoint.''
- Gilbert Achcar is a Lebanese socialist and Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at SOAS, University of London